Who doesn’t love a lazy dessert? Whether you’ve just fed the whole family a meal or you just don’t feel like fussing with a complicated recipe, a stress-free sweet is always welcome in our kitchens.
But, a lazy dessert isn’t quite as impressive if it doesn’t taste delicious. So, we challenged our series chef to tweak our lowest-rated “lazy” peach cobbler recipe into a dessert that’s low-effort, but high-quality. Get your vanilla ice cream ready, because we’re about to reach peach cobbler perfection.
Roscoe’s Peach Cobbler Takeover
Our easy, 5-ingredient recipe for Lazy Peach Cobbler seemed like a beginner baker’s delight, but once we came across the 2.9-star rating and reviews calling the dough “chewy,” “thick,” and even “gummy,” we realized it might need a revamp. So, in the latest episode of our Recipe Redemption series, we had Roscoe Hall do what he does best and give it a chef-level facelift.
The original recipe was very hands-off, similar to a dump cake in preparation, but the dessert turned out a bit tasteless and raw in the middle. “Maybe it’s a little bit too lazy,” Roscoe jokes. Roscoe’s version adds a few more ingredients, but keeps the preparation stress-free and simple—and don’t worry, it still comes together in a 9×13 baking dish.
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Instead of using margarine, Roscoe starts by swapping in real unsalted butter. Why? “Because it browns and makes a nuttier flavor when it’s cooked.” Canned peaches keep this cobbler quick and convenient, but Roscoe takes his canned fruit one step further by roughly chopping them into smaller quarters. In the finished dessert, this will give you more peach pieces per bite.
Roscoe cuts down the amount of flour and sugar and opts for brown sugar instead of white. “The essence of brown sugar is amazing,” says the chef, because it caramelizes much better and makes a great syrupy base for the dessert.
Rosoe’s cobbler batter uses buttermilk, which gives it a thicker consistency and produces a fluffier, more biscuit-like crust. He also amps up the warm and cozy flavors of the cobbler by adding “some love”—a.k.a. fresh ground nutmeg and cinnamon.
The result of this revamped recipe is a dish full of warm, soft, and syrupy peaches paired with a crisp, cake-like crust. And, believe us, it’s delicious. “I think everyone should do a lazy cobbler every week,” Roscoe concludes. And, we’d have to agree.
To learn all of Roscoe Hall’s professional peach cobbler-baking tips (and watch his hilarious demonstration) check out the latest episode of Recipe Redemption.
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How to Make Roscoe’s Redeemed Peach Cobbler
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 29-ounce can peaches in juice, sliced
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- Dash of vanilla
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Pinch of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place butter in a 9×13-inch baking dish and bake until the butter melts, about 5 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven. Drain in the juices from the can of sliced peaches and stir.
- Chop the drained peaches into smaller quarters, then add them to the baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar over the peaches, then pour vanilla on top and stir to combine.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly whisk in buttermilk until a lumpy batter forms. Dollop the batter over the peaches, giving it a light swirl to marble the batter into the fruit mixture.
- Bake the peach cobbler for 35 minutes, turn it in the oven, and continue cooking until the crust is deep golden, about 10 minutes more. Let the dessert cool for 15 to 30 minutes. Then, serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream, if desired.
