Nectarine (or peach) Cobbler is the ultimate summer and fall dessert. Ripe, sweet and tart nectarines combine perfectly with this crumbly and unique browned butter cobbler. Ice cream is not optional. It is bright and summery, sweet and crumbly, and absolute perfection.
Confession: I don’t really like cake. I never have a cake on my birthday, and it was one of the very few desserts I have no problem passing on. When my birthday rolls around, 9/10 I request a fruit cobbler for my birthday dessert.
I have always been firmly in the “Crisp” camp when it comes to the cobbler versus crisp debate. I’ll take a crumbly, crunchy topping over a soggy bread-like cobbler any day. But for this browned butter nectarine cobbler? I’m switching camps, baby. The cobbler is anything but soggy. The crisp edges on top, the soft middle, and the almost caramelized brown butter bottom is unlike any cobbler I’ve had before.
The ingredients list seems almost too simple. How can just a few ingredients combine into something so otherworldly? It seems almost like a pancake batter, but something happens between the brown butter bottom and the nectarine top that can only be magic.
Don’t you dare serve this without ice cream. A cobbler without ice cream is just a tragedy. There is nothing more disappointing than going out to dinner, ordering a fruit pie or cobbler, and discovering that it does not automatically come served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Why is not a-la-mode even an option for these desserts? I don’t get it.
This dish can be made with either nectarines or peaches. I prefer nectarines, because they are slightly more tangy, and you don’t have to peel them. You could also add blueberries or raspberries. I haven’t tried it yet, but I suspect that any combination of fruit you could imagine would be outstanding enveloped in this amazing cobbler batter.
Summer isn’t over yet. Take advantage of this glorious stone fruit season before it’s over! And if you try this dessert with any other fruit, let me know and I’ll add it to the recipe notes. And if you try it without ice cream, don’t tell me. I don’t want to hear about such decay in moral feeling that led to such a terrible event in your life.
Looking for more fruity desserts? My Redneck Apple Dumplings are another favorite, and this Raspberry Bread Pudding is next-level delicious.
Brown Butter Nectarine (or Peach) Cobbler
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh nectarines or peaches sliced thinly, with skins
- 1 c sugar divided
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 c flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup buttermilk or 2/3 c milk with 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a medium saucepan, combine fruit slices, 1/2 c sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stirring with a spatula to scrape the bottom, cook until butter is nutty and golden. Pour browned butter into a 9×9 baking dish.
- Combine flour, 1/2 c sugar, baking powder in salt in medium bowl. Add buttermilk or milk/lemon juice mixture into dry ingredients and mix until just barely combined. Use a spatula to scrape batter over butter in dish, and very gently spread evenly over butter without mixing into the butter.
- Spread nectarines and juice on top of the batter. Sprinkle nutmeg over the top. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm, with ice cream.
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