Very Small Anna
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[Photograph: Anna Markow]

Peaches—peeled, sliced and macerated in a mixture of dark brown sugar, ground ginger and bourbon—are crammed into ramekins and topped with golf ball-sized chunks of sugar-and-spice crusted snickerdoodle dough. The cobblers are baked until the cookies spread to the rim of each ramekin and the peaches bubble up around the edge. Once slightly cooled, the cookies' signature coating provides a slight crunch that gives way to a soft, peachy filling that is just sweet enough. And of course a little vanilla ice cream goes a long way.

Note: My ice cream maker was still packed post-moving when I tested this at home, and for now we'll be buying the ice cream we serve at the restaurant until we can afford a machine, but I strongly recommend you make my Super Vanilla Ice Cream to go along with it (definitely with bourbon as the liquor) because that is what I ultimately plan to do.

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About the Author: Anna Markow is a pastry chef obsessed with doing things that no one else does and giving unusual ingredients their time to shine. You can follow her sometimes-pastry-related thoughts on Twitter @VerySmallAnna.

About This Recipe

Yield: serves 4
Active time: 30 minutes
Total time: 90 minutes
Special equipment: electric stand or handheld mixer, ramekins

Ingredients

  • For the Snickerdoodle:
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  •  
  • For the Peaches:
  • 8 ripe peaches
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon bourbon
  •  
  • For the Sugar Coating:
  • 1/4 cup sugar in the raw (turbinado)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  •  
  • Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Procedures

  1. For the Cookie Dough: In a stand mixer or with a handheld electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then combine all the rest of the ingredients before beating into the dough at a low speed, finishing by hand to avoid overworking the dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

  2. For the Peaches: Peel peaches and cut into quarters, then cut each quarter in two or three slices depending on size. Toss to coat thoroughly with brown sugar, ginger and bourbon. Set aside and allow to macerate for at least 30 minutes.

  3. To Bake: Set a rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F. Evenly divide peaches among four ramekins, adding macerating liquid equally to each one. Roll four equal lumps of cookie dough into balls slightly larger than golf ball sized. Roll to coat thoroughly in cinnamon-sugar mix, flatten slightly and place each in center of a cobbler. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until cookie is baked through but still very soft and peaches release juice that bubbles around the edges. Allow to cool slightly before serving, topped with ice cream