Peach Almond Cobbler

Our scrawny little peach tree in the back yard finally cracked under the weight of it's peach filled branch (yes, branch singular...it didn't have much going for it), dropping all of it's fruit just before they were ripe. We left them out there for a while, and they finally ripened up, so I decided to make a cobbler before the bugs and birds got to them.

The cobbler topping in this recipe is a bit denser than some, but that may be due to the addition of ground almonds. I kinda like it that way, though. I also added some almond liquor to the peach filling, but I actually think almond extract would have been a bit more obvious. Oh well, the cobbler's just as good without the almond flavor, so it's no big deal if it's left out. I'm a big fan of fruit desserts, and it's been a while since I've made one, so I was pretty excited that the peaches were finally ready! Enjoy.

Peach Cobbler
Makes one 9 x 13 cobbler
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Peach Filling
About 4 lbs Ripe Peaches (roughly 9 cups sliced peaches)
3/4-1 Cup Sugar (adjust depending on tartness of fruit)
4 Tbl Flour
3/4 Cup Almond Liquor (of 1-2 tsp Almond Extract), optional
Pinch of Salt

Cobbler Topping
2-1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Finely Ground Almonds
4 Tbl Earth Balance Margarine or Veg. Shortening
1/4 Tsp Salt
2 Tbl Sugar
3/4 Cup Soy Milk

Peach Filling:
Wash, pit and slice the peaches and put into a large saucepan.

Add the flour, sugar, and pinch of salt and toss together until everything is wet and juicy. If using, add the almond liquor and over medium heat, cook for about 10 minutes until the peaches begin to soften and the juices thicken.

Remove from the heat and pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish.

For the topping:
In a food processor, grind whole, raw almonds until they form a slightly coarse meal.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, almond meal, sugar, salt, and baking soda and mix until well combined. Cut in the cold margarine or shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly. Make a well in the center, and pour in the soymilk. Mix gently with a fork until just combined, then for the dough into a ball with your hands. Be sure not to overwork the dough!

At this point, you can go for a rustic top and just plop little globs of dough on top of the cooked peaches, or you can roll the dough out into a 1/2" slab and use a cookie cutter to cut out cool shapes.

After you've placed the dough on top of the peaches, pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes until the cobbler topping is golden brown and the fruit mixture it bubbly. This is good served warm with ice cream!