This healthier blueberry peach cobbler combines the best summer fruit into the ultimate dessert! It is so easy to make and truly lets the fresh fruit shine. It’s made with whole wheat flour and less sugar for a healthier take on this delicious summer dessert. The fruit filling is perfectly sweetened with a fluffy biscuit topping that soaks up all the amazing fruit flavor!
Why I Love This Healthier Blueberry Peach Cobbler
One reason I love this blueberry peach cobbler is because of its amazing flavor and texture. The sweet, juicy blueberries just pair so well with fresh summer peaches. This dessert is refreshing and satisfying at the same time! As the cobbler bakes, the juices from the fruit soak into the topping, which makes it super moist and flavorful.
Another reason I love this healthier blueberry peach cobbler is because it is so easy to make! Everything comes together in under 15 minutes, and you don’t need any special tools or techniques! This recipe is perfect for those lazy summer evenings when you want a quick dessert. Just pop the cobbler into the oven and by the time you’re finished with dinner, it’ll be ready to enjoy!
Finally, I love how this cobbler is made with wholesome ingredients like fresh fruit and whole wheat flour. It also has less sugar and fat than most traditional desserts. It’s decadent enough to enjoy as dessert, especially with a scoop of ice cream, but it’s also light enough to serve as breakfast the next morning! I love topping it with some yogurt for the perfect breakfast.
What Is Fruit Cobbler?
So what is cobbler? Cobbler is basically any dessert that contains a syrupy mixture of fruit topped with a layer of dough or batter, which is all baked together. It’s similar to other fruit filled desserts like buckles, crisps, and crumbles, but they all have slight differences. Some cobblers lean towards the cake/cookie side, with a super sweet topping, while other cobblers use a biscuit topping with barely any sugar. This healthier blueberry peach cobbler is right in the middle! The topping is moister and softer than a biscuit, but isn’t too sweet.
Fun fact: The name fruit cobbler could have many origins. Some people think it refers back to the large wooden bowls that dough might have been mixed in, called a cobeler. Others suggest that it refers to the appearance of the dough topping, which looks like cobblestones on a street!
What Peaches Should I Use For This Healthier Blueberry Peach Cobbler?
The key to good cobbler is using delicious fruit because the fruit is the star of the show! You will definitely want to use ripe or slightly over ripe peaches, because that is when they are at their sweetest. Most traditional peach cobblers are made with yellow peaches, but you could also use white peaches, nectarines, or even plums. Just make sure they’re sweet!
For the perfect peaches, I recommend choosing ones that are slightly soft when gently pressed. If the peaches are completely firm, they’re not ripe yet! You can also check the color of the peaches. A ripe peach should have a dark yellow to orange color. If parts of the peach are still pale yellow or green, it’s probably not ready yet. To help peaches ripen faster, place them in a warm spot with good air flow for a couple of days.
Can I Use Frozen Fruit?
Yes, you can absolutely make this with frozen fruit! Frozen fruit is my preferred way to make this healthier blueberry peach cobbler when peaches or blueberries aren’t in season. Simply allow the fruit to thaw before proceeding with the recipe as normal.
Key Ingredients In Healthier Blueberry Peach Cobbler
- Peaches: The fruit is the star of this recipe, so make sure you are using sweet, flavorful peaches! See the section above for tips on how to choose the perfect peaches. Feel free to try substituting other stone fruits like plums or nectarines. You can also use frozen peach slices.
- Blueberries: Similar to the peaches, make sure you are using sweet, ripe blueberries! You can also use frozen blueberries.
- Brown Sugar: I love the extra flavor that brown sugar brings to this cobbler compared to white sugar. If you don’t have brown sugar, feel free to use granulated sugar instead.
- Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour is more nutritious and more flavorful than all purpose flour! I love the complex, nutty flavors that it brings, which pairs perfectly with the fruit. However, if you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can definitely use all purpose flour instead.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is key to the fluffy biscuit topping! If you are having trouble with flat or thin batter, double check that you’re baking powder isn’t expired.
- Butter: Butter keeps the cobbler topping moist and tender.
- Milk: Milk adds moisture to the topping. You can use whatever milk you have on hand (nonfat, skim, and whole milk all work!) For a richer, more tender topping, use a higher fat milk or even heavy cream.
- Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt adds some extra moisture to the cobbler topping and keeps it tender. If you don’t have Greek yogurt, you can substitute plain yogurt, sour cream, or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream/milk.
Tips and Techniques For Making Healthier Blueberry Peach Cobbler
- Start with good fruit: The fruit is the star of this dessert, so make sure that you are starting with sweet and flavorful fruit. I always recommend tasting the fruit before starting. If they’re slightly under ripe or tart, add an additional 2-3 tablespoons of sugar to the fruit mixture.
- If you are using frozen fruit, allow it to thaw before proceeding with the recipe as normal.
- Mix the fruit in the baking dish: To avoid washing an extra bowl, I like to mix the fruit filling directly in the baking dish.
- Don’t over mix the topping: Since this topping is made with whole wheat flour, which has a high protein content, make sure you don’t over mix the batter. Over mixing can develop too much gluten, which results in a tough biscuit topping.
- Sprinkle with sugar before baking: For an extra crunch, I recommend sprinkling 1-2 teaspoons of sugar on top of the cobbler right before baking.
- Serve with yogurt or ice cream: This is completely optional, but I strongly recommend serving this cobbler warm with a scoop of ice cream, creme fraiche, or yogurt. The warm fruit pairs so well with the cold topping for the most delicious creamy treat.
How to Peel Peaches
For this cobbler, you will need to peel the peaches. My favorite way to do this is by cooking the peaches in boiling water for just 60 seconds and then immediately transferring them to a bowl of ice water. This makes it super easy to slide the peels right off of the peaches! As a bonus, this slightly softens the peaches, so you don’t have to pre-cook them in a separate pot.
Variations and Ingredient Substitutions
- Other fruits: You can make this cobbler with pretty much any fruit! I recommend trying strawberries, blackberries, cherries, nectarines, and plums.
- Sugar: If you don’t have brown sugar, feel free to use white sugar instead. If you’re fruit is not super sweet, add an additional 2-3 tablespoons of sugar to the fruit mixture. Also, this topping is very lightly sweetened, like a biscuit. If you prefer a more cake-like topping, increase the sugar in the topping to 1/3 cup.
- Spices: Feel free to add your favorite spices to the fruit or topping mixture. I love cinnamon and nutmeg with peaches!
- Flour: Feel free to substitute all purpose flour for the whole wheat flour. You could also replace up to 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour with almond flour.
- Milk: Nonfat, skim, and whole milk all work in this recipe. However, higher fat milk will result in a more tender and flavorful topping. You could even use half and half or heavy cream for an extra rich cobbler!
- Yogurt: Like the milk, nonfat, skim, and whole milk yogurt all work in this recipe, but higher fat works best. You can use Greek or plain yogurt. If you don’t have yogurt, you can substitute sour cream, or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream/milk.
- Buttermilk: Instead of the milk and yogurt, you can use 3/4 cup of buttermilk.
- Nuts: For extra crunch and flavor, try adding some chopped nuts to the cobbler topping! I recommend pecans, walnuts, and almonds.
If You Liked This Healthier Blueberry Peach Cobbler, You Might Also Like…
- Healthier Blueberry Cobbler
- Healthy One-Bowl Berry Cake
- Healthy Berry Clafoutis
- Mug Peach Cobbler
- Jammy Strawberry Cake
- Simple Blueberry Shortcake
Healthier Blueberry Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
For the fruit mixture:
- 2 cups peaches or nectarines (around 3-4 large peaches) peeled and sliced into thin wedges
- 2 1/2 cups blueberries
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole wheat or all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice optional
For the cobbler topping:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt see notes for substitutes
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
For the fruit mixture:
- In a 9×13 baking dish, combine the peaches, blueberries, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, and lemon juice. Stir until everything is well combined. Set aside.
For the cobbler topping:
- In a large bowl, whisk together whole wheat flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and ground cinnamon. Add the cubed butter and work into the flour with fingers or a pastry cutter until mixture has coarse crumbs.
- In a small bowl or measuring glass, mix the milk, yogurt, and vanilla extract together. Pour into the flour mixture and stir until just combined (do not over mix!) Spoon dollops of the dough on top of the fruit mixture, leaving some gaps for the fruit to show through. Optionally sprinkle the cobbler with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Bake until the topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, around 35-45 minutes.
- Let cobbler cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
