Heat the oven to 375°F with rack in the center. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Arrange the peaches in a 9 by 13-inch or two 8 by 8 baking pans.

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze lemon juice over the top. If your peaches and/or fruit is not at ideal sweetness - sprinkle an extra tablespoon of sugar over the fruit.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and 1 1/2 cups of sugar on medium speed until creamy but still crumbly, about 1 minute. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat on medium speed until all the flour is mixed in and the mixture is evenly crumbly, about 30 seconds more. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the milk. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the batter is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Scoop the batter in about 6 large blobs over the peaches. With the back of a big spoon, carefully spread the batter evenly over the fruit so it’s no more than about 1/2 inch thick in any one place.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup sugar over the batter. Drizzle the hot water evenly over the sugar, using it to melt the sugar topping. Trust me - this part seems counter intuitive...just go with it!

Set the pan on the foil-lined baking sheet and bake the cobbler until the top is golden brown and cracked about an hour. A toothpick stuck in the topping should come out clean or with just crumbs clinging—be sure to check in a few places.

Let the cobbler cool for about 30 minutes to firm up (if you can wait that long!).

Enjoy!