I’ve been craving a sweet treat lately, so I think it’s time for another cemetery recipe! Peaches are coming into season right now so I thought why not try O’Neal’s Peach Cobbler? This tasty treat would also go well with a side of ice cream. It is summer after all!

O’Neal’s Peach Cobbler recipe can be found on the gravestone of O’Neal Bogan “Peony” Watson, in New Ebenezer Cemetery in Castor, Louisiana. O’Neal’s son Charlie McBride loves this family recipe so much, that he had it inscribed on his Mother’s grave after she passed away in 2005. He said “It really is just a great recipe”.¹ In an article for the Sault Lake Tribune, Charlie reminisced about memories that making this recipe brought up. It’s a perfect example of how these cemetery recipes are a sweet way to remember our loved ones. 

Here is the recipe, as inscribed on the gravestone:

O’Neal’s Peach Cobbler

• 1 c. Flour
• 2/3 c. Sugar
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 c. Butter
• 1/4 tsp. Salt

Mix ingredients. Add 3/4 c. Milk.

Put fruit into pan. Pour on topping.

Bake at 350’ until done.

I always find it interesting how descriptive or nondescriptive recipes found on gravestones can be. I realize it might be too expensive to inscribe too much text on a stone. I do appreciate how creative some authors get to skirt around that. This recipe is a short and sweet one, pun intended. The only things I found missing was the amount of fruit, and how long to bake it for.

Rosie Grant over at GhostlyArchive, of TikTok fame, used 1 can of whole peaches that she cubed up, so I did something similar and used 1 big can of sliced peaches. I drained the peaches before putting them in the pan and tried to make sure they were evenly distributed. 

I followed the recipe as closely as possible, mixing the dry ingredients first, then adding the milk. I poured on the topping as evenly as I could, now it was time for it to go into the oven. The recipe says to bake it at 350’ “until done”. I wasn’t sure how long that should be, so I started with a timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes it wasn’t looking cooked through, so I left it in for another 10 minutes, then another 5. After 35 minutes it was looking nice and golden so I took it out to cool.

I paired my first serving of O’Neal’s Peach Cobbler with Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream. It was to die for! The topping puffed up, creating a lovely fluffy texture that combined nicely with the soft peaches. I’ll be keeping this first batch for myself, since there isn’t enough left to share! But, I will need to make this again for a friend or family gathering.

Have you tried recreating any cemetery recipes yet? Share your favorites in the comments! 

Thanks for reading! 

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References:

1. Family Recipes Etched in Stone. Gravestone, That Is. | The Sault Lake Tribune
2. O’Neal Bogan “Peony” Watson | Find a Grave
3. O’Neil’s Peach Cobbler | GhostlyArchive on TikTok