Sparkle Kitchen: Mason Jar Peach Cobblers
In the Martin & Sylvia: More Adventures! story, “Paddling to Treasure Island,” when Daddy suggests they paddle to "Luck Island," which was recently made into a public park, brother and sister are at once excited and filled with questions.
Does anyone live there?
What is on the island?
Will there be pirate treasure?
They find out that the island does indeed have treasure but not at all of the kind that they were expecting!
Inspired by a few of Martin and Sylvia's summer adventures—and my 6 year-old son's persistence—we recently headed out to a local lake and rented a canoe for an hour. My son was determined to row; my daughter was determined to fall in the water. Like most family adventures with little ones, it was semi-organized chaos. But at the end of it we all decided that we really like canoeing.
We also all enjoyed the picnic after.
My philosophy on summer picnics is very low-fuss—some cheese and lunchmeat in a cooler, a box of crackers, a tub of hummus, and plenty of cool fruits and veggies. That being said, though, even the simplest picnic benefits from a good dessert, and these little peach cobblers fit the bill perfectly.
Made with amazing summer peaches, these cobblers don't even need much sugar to sweeten them up. And, by baking them in 4-ounce mason jars, you'll make them extra easy to transport, eat, and even clean-up. (Just throw the lid back on and leave the washing until you get home.)
Whether you're enjoying an end-of-summer picnic or packing a special treat in a back-to-school lunch, I hope you enjoy them!
Mason Jar Peach Cobblers
(makes 8, 4-ounce mason jars)
Ingredients
For the crust:
8 graham crackers
3 tablespoons butter, melted
For the filling:
3 peaches
⅛ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup flour
For the topping:
4 tablespoons flour
1½ tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, cubed
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Separately, fill a medium-sized saucepan about half full of water and bring it to a boil. You'll also need to fill a large mixing bowl (or a clean sink) with ice water.
Now begin making the crust. To start, crush the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor. With the food processor running, stream in the melted butter and mix until well incorporated.
Divide the crust mixture evenly among the mason jars, and use a spoon to firmly pack it into the bottom.
Next, blanch the peaches to remove their skins. To do so, cut a small “X” through the skin of each peach, then drop them into the prepared boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Next, drop them into the prepared ice water, and let the peaches cool. You should now be able to easily remove the skin with your hands.
Once the skins are removed, chop the peaches into 1-inch cubes. Combine the peach cubes with the sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and flour, and mix them together gently. Then, spoon the peach mixture on top of the crust mixture in the mason jars.
In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt for the topping. Add the butter cubes, and use a fork (or two) to mash the butter into the topping mixture until it looks crumbly. Sprinkle a little of the topping mixture onto the top of each jar.
Place all the jars onto a baking sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes. While it's optional, I like to finish my peach cobblers with about a minute under the broiler (set to low, so that the jars don't break) to brown the topping.
Allow the cobblers to cool completely before twisting on some lids and packing them up for your picnic.
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About the Author
Meryl Carver-Allmond
The Sparkle Kitchen Series is created by Meryl Carver-Allmond.
Meryl lives in a hundred-year-old house near the prairie with her sweet husband, two preschoolers, one puppy, one gecko, and about ten chickens. While she's been writing since she could pick up a pen, in recent years she's discovered the joy of photography, too. She feels lucky to be able to combine those skills, along with a third passion — showing people that cooking for themselves can be healthy and fun — in her Sparkle Kitchen posts.
