Why is it called a Peach Cobbler?

One good thing that is coming from being safer at home is that many people are trying out new hobbies or improving their current hobbies. Two of my hobbies are sewing and baking. I noticed that both of those are in high gear right now. Some people are learning how to sew masks, which is inspiring them to learn how to sew their own clothes. Some people are learning how to bake bread for the first time or making a lot of banana bread. I know I’ve made a lot of banana bread in the last 4 months.

One of my goals during this lock-down is to bake something new and different to me. Things that I’ve never baked before. One of those things was carrot cake An Adapted Carrot Cake Recipe by Paula Deen- Quarantine Style. I also want to learn how to bake bread from scratch.

I found some canned peaches in my pantry and figured that this is as good a time as any to learn how to make a peach cobbler. Want to know a secret? I’ve never had peach cobbler ever in my life. I know, I can’t believe it either. And I’m not the type to choose vanilla for ice cream. I mean, my favorite ice cream is one with everything and anything in it! I am willing to try any dessert. So it’s hard to believe that I’ve never had peach cobbler.

Since I’ve never had this dessert before, I decided to start with an easy and simple recipe. One that included canned peaches. I watched a few videos on YouTube and found that they all had the same basic recipe for easy and simple peach cobbler. They all contained a stick of butter (or 1/2 cup of butter), a can of peaches, and one cup each of milk, flour and sugar. Also added were baking soda and salt if baking flour was not used. In each recipe, the first step is to melt the stick of butter in the oven. While doing that, you mix the milk, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Once the butter is melted, you pour the mixture on top of the melted butter. The most important part is not to stir or mix it. Just have the mixture spread out on it’s own. Then pour the can of peaches, syrup and all, on top of the mixture. Again, do not stir or mix. Bake for about 45 minutes (until the top is browned).

That was the most glorious 45 minutes I’ve had since this lockdown. You know why? Because the whole house smelled like BUTTER! O…M…G…

The middle seemed a little too mushy. Maybe too much syrup? The sides were browned enough so I didn’t want to put it back in the oven. Can I be honest? It tasted ok. It was actually kind of bland. Like, where are the spices? LOL… And really, it was way too butter-y. I wasn’t very impressed.

I watched a few more videos to see if there was something that I missed. All of them basically had the same ingredients until I found one person who shared her grandmother’s recipe. The only difference is that she added a teaspoon of vanilla in her mix and she sprinkled cinnamon on top.

It was too late to add vanilla. So I sprinkled some cinnamon on a new piece and whoa, that made a difference. There’s what was missing. If I ever make this dessert again, I will add the vanilla and cinnamon.

At least I get to check off another dessert off my lock-down bucket list. My next baking project will be the bread made from scratch.

Until then, Happy Baking and Happy 4th of July!

Oh, and the answer to that question. The question my son was asking each time I asked him if he wanted a piece of peach cobbler, Why is it called peach cobbler? Here’s a satisfying answer:

Cobblers originated in the British American colonies. English settlers were unable to make traditional suet puddings due to lack of suitable ingredients and cooking equipment, so instead covered a stewed filling with a layer of uncooked plain biscuits or dumplings, fitted together.^{[citation needed]} The origin of the name cobbler, recorded from 1859, is uncertain: it may be related to the archaic word cobeler, meaning “wooden bowl”.^[2]
-Wikipedia.org