Bourbon Soaked Peaches Are The Key To The Ultimate Cobbler

Peach cobbler melds fruity and sweet flavors for a classic dessert — but a little booze can make it even better. That's right, soak those fresh peaches in bourbon and your cobbler turns into the ultimate dessert with a spiked kick. You might already soak peaches in bourbon for infused cocktails and the method works pretty much the same for an elevated peach cobbler to serve adults at your next picnic or dinner party (sorry kids).

Bourbon's tasting notes vary from caramel, vanilla, and smokiness, all of which contrast well with the fruity and sweet flavors of fresh peaches. To enhance the flavors, ingredients like vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, or ground nutmeg go into the boozy mixture. Canned peaches also work if you can't find ripe peaches in time to bake. And if bourbon is not usually your liquor of choice, we've got you covered with the best brands of bourbon for baking including Maker's Mark.

To use fresh peaches to soak up bourbon for cobbler, slice them into thin pieces. Leave the skin on, but you can peel the peaches too if you don't like the texture. For canned peaches, drain off the excess liquid and slice accordingly. For a cobbler that has up to 8 servings, you'll use 8 cups of peaches. When it comes to the booze, about a 1/4 cup is sufficient — but don't be afraid to pour a little more if you prefer more of a kick. You can stir the bourbon with the peaches and add to the dish directly, poach the fruit in bourbon for a few minutes, or soak them until you think the slices have obtained your preferred level of bourbon.

If you're worried about the alcohol content in the cobbler, some of the liquor will cook off during the baking process. However, up to 85% of the alcohol will remain depending on how long you bake the cobbler. And considering the peaches are soaked in the bourbon for varying amounts of time, expect a punch in both flavor and alcohol content in each bite.

Test out your bourbon-soaked peaches in Tasting Table's classic peach cobbler recipe. Or combine fruits and cook our blackberry peach cobbler recipe with these bourbon tips. And as a final note, consider a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top to complement the boozy dessert.