Peach cobbler is a seasonal sweet treat

"Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches." Or so the song goes anyway. Truthfully, I grew up in the country in Maine and never had a fresh peach straight from the tree the whole time I lived there. It was only when I moved to the Keene area that I started buying peaches at local orchards and eating them fresh from the tree every August. It's probably more of a southern thing, I'd guess. Nonetheless, my neighbors have the most beautiful peach tree in their front yard and each year they gift us a basket of sweet and delicious peaches. While they're amazing as-is with all their juicy goodness, a peachy flavored baked good can't be beat and this cobbler recipe is always at the top of my August to-do list. I've found that sliced peaches freeze amazingly well, and this recipe can be made using frozen peaches or fresh. They thaw pretty quickly when you cook them down in the first step. I don't even bother to peel them usually because the skin doesn't seem to make a difference in this recipe. Additionally, although I've only made this cobbler using fresh or frozen peaches, the original recipe says canned peaches are usable, if desired. When using canned peaches, though, skip the first two steps in the instructions and start at step three. This is a recipe that cooks really well in a cast-iron skillet, in my opinion, so if you have a large one of those, give it a try. It's excellent when eaten warm right out of the oven, and sometimes I can't even wait to get myself a bowl and eat the first few bites right out of the baking dish or skillet. No shame in that. The cinnamon sprinkled over the top gives this recipe a little extra depth of flavor, but you can skip that if you're not a fan of cinnamon. The peach flavor will shine through either way. Peaches deserve their seasonal moment in the sun but often get overlooked between blueberries and apples. Do yourself a favor and pick up a bunch at your local orchard, farmers market, or co-op and get to baking this cobbler before their season passes. Peach Cobbler Adapted from tastesbetterfromscratch.com Ingredients: About 4 cups peaches, peeled and sliced 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 tsp. salt For the batter: 6 Tbsp. butter 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 cup milk Ground cinnamon Instructions: Add sliced peaches, sugar and salt to saucepan and stir to combine. Cook on medium heat for just a few minutes until sugar is dissolved and to help bring out the juices from the peaches. Remove from heat and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice butter into pieces and add to 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place baking dish in oven while it preheats to melt butter. Once melted, remove pan from oven. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, until just combined. Pour mixture into pan over melted butter and smooth out into an even layer. Spoon peaches and juice over batter and sprinkle cinnamon over top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 38 to 40 minutes. Serve warm and top with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.