Fruit Cobbler (gluten free)

Joe has been lacking in the area of baked desserts. Let's face it, most baked goods that consist mainly of flour just don't taste the same when they're transformed in to their gluten-free counterparts. So let's go the cobbler route. With this gluten-free recipe, you'll be hard-pressed to tell if it contains gluten or not!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:
2-3 cups frozen peaches or other fruit (mixed berries is good too), thawed
(I used a bag of frozen peaches and added a handful of fresh blueberries)
1/3 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Dry Baking Mix...
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

For GLUTEN-FREE: omit the above dry ingredients and use Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Mix, or mix your own:
2/3 cup rice flour--finely ground
1/4 cup potato starch flour
2 TBSP tapioca starch
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup additional sugar
1 cup milk (for lactose-free, use Lactaid milk)
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Measure milk and add lemon juice, set aside for 10 minutes (can use buttermilk without the lemon juice instead, but it's got lactose).
In medium bowl, stir in 1/3 cup sugar to the thawed fruit, set aside.
Pour melted butter in 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Or, do what I do and melt the butter right in the glass dish by zapping it in the microwave.
Put baking mix ingredients and 1 cup sugar into a medium bowl and mix.
Add milk mixture, stir briefly just to incorporate all ingredients.
Pour batter on top of the melted butter in the baking dish.

NOTE: If you'd like a wonderfully buttery crust, do NOT stir! If you want more of a cakey batter, feel free to stir the butter into the batter at this point, but I may frown at you if I catch you!

Evenly pour the fruit mixture over the batter. Again, do not stir. The fruit will find its own home of choice within the batter. It's best not to mess with Mother Nature, you know! Here's what mine looked like before I sprinkled it with the spices.

I know, I don't currently have my 8 x 8-inch baking dish--it was broken. So, I had to modify the recipe accordingly. But please, go along with me here!

Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg on top.
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until crust is browned and a toothpick comes out clean.

When it was done baking, all the fruit was hiding underneath the pretty golden crust!

If you're feeling a little spunky, you can also add 1 tsp. grated lemon peel to the batter. Or if you want to mix things up a bit more, add 1 tsp. almond extract to the fruit...or batter! Live it up and change it up as the spirit moves you!