Ripe, juicy peaches are caramelized in butter and brown sugar then topped with a simple all-butter crust in the Soul Food recipe passed down through four generations.
This year, I thought I'd kick off Black History Month with a family heirloom: my Great Great Aunt Georgia's peach cobbler. The only problem is that we don't actually have a written record of her recipe! However, I spent many childhood days at Aunt Georgia's house in Southeast Houston observing her at work in the kitchen. I fondly remember watching her carefully place the lattice crust atop peach filling before placing her renowned peach cobbler in the oven to bake. Let's get into the magic!
If you enjoy this recipe, you'll also love my Bourbon Spiked Sweet Potato Pie and Honey Peach Cobbler Pound Cake.
I set out to recreate Aunt Georgia's delicious peach cobbler from memory and hopefully honor her in my own little way. This is Soul Food peach cobbler with fresh peaches so I replaced the canned cling peaches she typically used with fresh ones and couldn't help adding a cute little heart to the crust but otherwise, not much differs from the dessert that my siblings and I loved so much growing up.
My youngest brother loves this cobbler the absolute most so his seal of approval was the deciding factor! An egg wash tops my lattice crust which, like Aunt Georgia's, gets a little lost in the ooey gooey brown sugar peach filling. Let's get into the recipe and history.
More Favorite Southern & Soul Food Dessert Recipes
Classic Pound Cake with Sweet Tea
Plum Upside Down Cake with Bourbon
Red Velvet Layer Cake with Chocolate Covered Strawberries
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Here's what you'll need for the filling.
Fresh Ripe Peaches are the star of my brown sugar peach cobbler filling. Grab the best juicy fresh peaches you can find as this southern cobbler recipe is best made when they're in season. BUT you can make peach cobbler outside of the summeritme season with the caramelizing step in this recipe!
Brown Sugar and Butter combine to add more sweetness and depth of flavor to peach cobbler filling and makes fresh peaches mimic the super soft texture of canned peaches while retaining the bright fresh flavor.
Spices like Cinnamon and Nutmeg lend warmth and that signature bakery touch so don't skip them in my southern peach cobbler filling ingredients.
Flour and Lemon Juice help to thicken the filling and last but not least, the lemon juice balances out all the sweetness so that you don't get a sugar burnout.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, and step-by-step instructions!
All Butter Crust for Aunt Georgia's Cobbler
The key to a good butter crust for this peach cobbler recipe is cold ingredients, especially the butter. That gives your crust the best chance of being tender, flaky, and standing up to the delicious filling. Start by combining the butter, flour, sugar, and sea salt, then let your dough chill out in the fridge.
- Cold Butter
- Flour
- Ice-Cold Water
- Sea Salt
- Beaten Egg
- Sugar
Grab a rolling pin and flour sifter for this part of the process. And the whole dessert comes together in this pan.
Before placing the prepped cobbler into the oven, brush a bit of beaten egg over the dough. This will help the crust get to a golden brown color. Finally, sprinkle a bit of sugar all over top and your soul food peach cobbler will come out looking professional with a capital P!
Tips & Tools for Black People's Peach Cobbler from Scratch
Combine everything in a mixing bowl the transfer the filling to a sturdy skillet. You'll also need a cutting board and sharp knife for this step.
And if you're making peach cobbler for Thanksgiving, grab my holiday dinner guide for all the tea on family recipes!
This was Aunt Georgia's signature dish. You know, the one people requested she make for every family gathering or cookout. Whether it's potato salad, sweet potato pie, or pound cake, every family has that person that can make a dish just right and nothing else will do. Peach cobbler was hers. Aunt Georgia came up during a time when the South was segregated and Black people didn't always have access to the best of the best when it came to ingredients and cooking tools.
This makes it even more amazing to me that she and the other women in my family were able to create such wonderfulness with food! It also fills me with gratitude and humbles me that I can do what I am doing today.
More Black History Month Family Recipes
I hope you'll try this recipe and love it. It's a family favorite and, since Aunt Georgia was my Great Grandma's (a little more about her here) sister, this is fourth generation #blackgirlmagic! If you're a regular reader here, you've probably gathered that I'm also Nigerian on my Daddy's side. So in addition to this classic peach cobbler recipe and other soul food classics from my mom's heritage, I have Nigerian recipes on deck. Stay tuned!
- Buttermilk Biscuits with Pear Compote (Vegan)
- Nigerian Jollof Rice
- Soul Food Bowls
- Roasted Suya Brussels Sprouts
How do you honor your family and cultural history? Let me know in the comments below and please share your thoughts if you try this recipe for yourself. And be sure to pin this recipe for later on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
P.S. On an extremely exciting note, Aunt Georgia's peach cobbler is my "contribution" to the first-ever Black History Month Virtual Potluck with 27 other amazingly talented black food bloggers! Everyone is sharing their best recipes and those included span regions and continents. Check out all of the yummy creations right on Eat the Culture!
How to Make Fresh Peach Cobbler from Scratch
Aunt Georgia's Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
For the peach cobbler filling
- 3 pounds peaches peeled and sliced
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons flour
- juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
For the all-butter cobbler crust
- 1 ¼ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon ice cold water
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Instructions
For the crust
- Whisk together 1 ¼ cup flour with sea salt in a large bowl. Add in cold butter and work ingredients together with your hands until a coarse, sandy looking meal forms.
- Add cold water to mixture and continue working and pressing it until the dough melds together. Don't overwork the dough so as to not add too much heat to it.
- Shape dough into a flattened square, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Filling
- While the dough chills, combine sliced peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour in a large bowl and mix until peaches are well coated. Mix in lemon juice.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the filling mixture to the pan. Cook until bubbly and thickened, stirring as necessary (about 5-10 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour prepared filling into a square 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Set aside.
- Roll out the chilled dough to about ¼ inch thickness and cut into 8 one-inch strips. Lay the strips over top of peach filling in a lattice or criss-cross pattern.
- Brush the dough with beaten egg then sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Bake cobbler for about 45 minutes or until crust is golden. Allow it to cool and set for at least another 45 minutes then serve.
Nutrition
Connie Trotter says
I loved this recipe! The crust was a welcome and delicious change from my typical No Fail pie crust recipe. Delicious… the 1/2 cup of brown sugar was the perfect amount of sweetness. I used six; very large, Colorado peaches, which made just shy of eight cups. I am anxious to try some of your other recipes (Southern Fried Cabbage looks wonderful).
Immaculate Ruému says
aunties always pass down the best recipes and this peach cobbler met all my expectations! Both the crust and the filling were perfect.
Kaluhi says
Such a delight this was! Loved every bite and the peaches sure did come alive especially because of the brown sugar! This was delicious!!!
Chef Mireille says
I have always loved peach cobbler but never had this version with a pie crust before. oh Lord it was so good. Will definitely be making it again
Kate says
This peach cobbler was so flavorful! The combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar was amazing and your instructions simple to follow. I can't wait to make this again.
Christilisa says
This recipe looks absolutely delicious! I know what it is like to want a recipe that has been lost to time because it wasn't written down. Great job recreating it. I'm sure your Aunt Georgia would be proud!
Marta says
The story behind this recipe is amazing, and so is the recipe. Buttery flaky crust paired with a great filling. I think Aunt Georgia approves, Jazz!
Britney Brown says
That all butter crust was everything on top of the juicy peaches! Such a great recipe!
Tamara says
This peach cobbler recipe will forever be one of my favorites! It tastes just like my Nana used to make it! I will be making it again this weekend!
Kaitlin (Kay) says
This cobbler makes your kitchen smell as good as it tastes! I'm not a huge fan of crust, but I found this recipe to have just enough to enhance the filling rather than bury it. Would highly recommend this to any lover of fruit (especially if that fruit is peaches!) Will 100% make this again. Thank you for sharing!
Jazz says
So glad this recipe worked well for you, Kaitlin! The crust to filling ration was one of Aunt Georgia's signatures.
Anna Dell'Era says
Hi Jazz! I'm a Sis'(N.C.) residing in Europe. This recipe comes the closest to the slamming peach cobbler my Gran Mama Mill used to make. As I am presently in South Italy where figs are in abundance, I added them to the peaches and substituted rum for vanilla. Wow!! Scrumptious!!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and for initiating thought on the beloved family tradition of cooking which lies close to my heart. I felt Mama Mill's spirit. 🙂 Anna
Jazz says
So happy to hear that, Anna! I really appreciate your feedback.
LaKita says
Love peach cobbler and your version looks delicious!!
Katrina Adams says
I love a good peach cobbler and your recipe looks amazing!!
Calysta says
I love Auntie’s peach cobbler! A black family cultural tradition for sure!!
Mila says
LOVE the little heart cut out. This looks like a totally delish cobbler, and it's definitely got that southern charm!