As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Swaziland, I have a limited food budget. But I also love food–both eating and making it. During PST, I cooked without an oven, refrigeration, and a non-stick skillet. Now at my permanent site, I have all three, though at a cost. This occasional series will highlight my cooking and baking and the recipes I use.

I have been making peach cobbler since I was a child. I received Addy’s Cook Book, from the American Girl Doll series, as a birthday gift, and since then, the only peach cobbler recipe I have used is the one from this book.

I was delighted to learn that peaches grew in Swaziland, just so I could make this dish. Peach season may be at its end in Swaziland, but there are canned peaches for sale at grocery stores, so this can be a year-round dessert.

This is a much easier alternative to making a pie, which is perfect for Swaziland. Any size baking dish can be used—just adjust the quantities as needed. And for those of you without stovens, I give directions for making this on the stove top.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost of supplies: E25
Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6

Tools needed:
Knife
Cutting board
Baking dish
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Spoon
Rolling pin
Cookie cutter

Filling ingredients:
10 peaches (3 to 4 cups), depending on baking dish size
2 tbsp flour
½ tsp cinnamon
1 c sugar

Crust ingredients:
1 c flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp powdered milk
6 tbsp water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar

Recipe:

1. Preheat stoven to 190* C. Use both the oven and grill settings.
2. Slice the peaches into a greased baking dish. Fill it until full. I use an 8×8 dish that is full after about 10 peaches. Mix the flour, cinnamon, and sugar into the peaches.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into small chunks and mix into the flour mixture with a fork or knife. Add the water and powdered milk until just moist. Knead the flour mixture until well combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Roll out the dough until a ¼ inch thick and cut into shapes with the cookie cutter or cut into strips. Place on top of the peaches.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.

Stovetop directions: Make the filling in a pot on the stove (cook the peaches until soft and the liquid bubbles) and fry the dough in pieces in a skillet. Then you could serve the pieces together.