Lesson #162: Peach Cobbler Scones

This is a YUMMY breakfast treat! Ultra-fluffy buttermilk biscuit dough is wrapped around sliced peaches and sprinkled with cinnamon/sugar. It's the perfect way to use up extra peaches at the end of the season.

LESSON LEARNED: You can freeze these unbaked scones. Simply pop them into the oven still frozen and add a few minutes to the bake time.

Recipe for Peach Cobbler Scones

Lesson #161: Peach Crumble Pie

I haven't made a peach pie since these vanilla bean peach pies last year, so I decided it was definitely time to bake a peach pie again. I really have a dislike towards runny, undercooked peach pie fillings, so I turned to a pie book I checked out from the library for help. In this peach pie recipe, the thickener is quick-cooking tapioca. I don't normally have this item in my baking pantry, so I had to go in search of it, but it really did the trick! The peach pie filling was perfectly set by the time it finished baking. :)

LESSON LEARNED: Use peaches which are ripe, but still firm. They are much easier to slice!

Recipe for Peach Crumble Pie

Lesson #149: Vanilla Bean Peach Jam

A few weeks ago my in-laws were in town visiting from Atlanta. I knew that my mother-in-law is an avid canner, so I asked her if she would teach me how to can. I remember my grandma canning when I was growing up, but I had never canned anything myself. It turns out that the whole process isn't hard once you get everything set up!

This was the first recipe we made. It's a really simple recipe - just peaches, sugar, lemon, and vanilla bean. I think the hardest part of the recipe was peeling and cubed the peaches! So, it that doesn't sound hard to you, you could definitely make this jam. The end result is a lusciously thick peach jam with a hint of vanilla and lemon.

 LESSON LEARNED: If you don't want to can this jam, simply ladle it into jars, let it cool, and store it in the refrigerator.

Recipe for Vanilla Bean Peach Jam

Lesson #2: Perfect Peach Pies

The last time I made peach pie I had amazing, in-season, juicy ripe peaches. I used my favorite recipe for pie crust, skinned and sliced the peaches, added sugar and a touch of flour and put it in the oven. About 45 minutes later, the crust was nice and brown and the pie smelled wonderful. I set it out to cool and a few hours later I sliced into it. What I found, instead of a picture perfect slice of pie, was a mess of overcooked peaches and runny (slightly raw flour-y) tasting syrup. What went wrong?

I thought maybe my method of tossing everything together (similar to what I do when I make apple pie) was not the best way to make a perfect peach pie. I knew I wanted to syrup in the pie to be thick and luscious and the peaches to maintain a little bite and their naturally juiciness. After some research, I came up with a recipe for Vanilla Scented Mini Peach Pies.

First, instead of tossing all the filling ingredients together, I let the fruit sit (or macerate) with sugar, flour, and a touch of nutmeg. Then I heated the resulting syrup in a saucepan until it was thick and mixed in the peaches at the last second. Second, I made mini pies using a mini-cupcake pan and lined the pan with liners for easy clean up. I was also able to cook the pies in a shorter time which lead to the peaches not being overcooked. Third, to give these mini pies something a little extra special, I used vanilla sugar which I always have in my pantry. I take my leftover vanilla bean pods (after I've scraped out the seeds) and stick them in an airtight container of granulated sugar. When you bake these pies, the house begins to smell like vanilla scented peaches - it's wonderful!

Recipe for Vanilla Scented Mini Peach Pies

LESSON LEARNED: Allowing the peaches to release their natural juices and cooking the syrup results in a thick pie filling. By adding the peaches after this process and shortening the baking time, keeps the peaches from being overcooked.