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Look no further for the best apple cobbler recipe! A warmly spiced and perfectly sweet apple filling topped with an easy, quick, and tender drop biscuit topping.
Craving apple pie but you don’t have the time to make even my super easy Crisco pie crust recipe? Well, I have the perfect dessert for you! This easy apple cobbler recipe is filled with a perfectly sweet, spiced apple filling and topped with a tender drop biscuit.
Since it is the season for apples, try my other easy apple recipes like my easy apple pie, Mom’s easy apple crisp, or Jewish apple cake (a fresh apple cake). There are also so many fun flavor combinations, like apple butterscotch pie, apple cinnamon rolls, and spiced apple cider cranberry cupcakes.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Easy Apple Cobbler
- Easier than Pie! This cobbler has all the flavors of an apple pie with half the work! The filling is not pre-cooked, and the biscuit doesn’t need to be chilled. You will have a cobbler in the oven in under 20 minutes.
- Tender and crisp drop biscuit topping. Adding light brown sugar to the biscuit dough gives it a warm molasses flavor. Using baking powder and soda will ensure the topping rises evenly and has a crisp golden outside and a tender inside.
- Each component can be made in advance. You can pre-cook the apple filling or make homemade apple pie filling on the stovetop and store it for a week in the refrigerator before assembling. The drop biscuit dough can also be made 2-3 days in advance. Then, on the day, you can assemble and bake!
Professional Tips for Making Apple Cobbler
- Don’t over-mix the drop biscuit. For the most tender and flaky drop biscuit topping, don’t overmix. Using melted butter and heavy cream can make it easy to do so. Mix until just combined, and you are ready to go.
- Taste the filling before adding the cornstarch. All apples are different in flavor, sweetness, and tartness. To ensure your filling is the best it can be, taste it before adding the cornstarch and adjust it to your preferred flavor profile.
- Let the filling bubble for at least a minute. Since this filling isn’t pre-cooked, it needs time in the oven to release the apples juices and for the cornstarch to fully activate. Once you see the apple filling bubbling throughout the cobbler, set a time for another minute for good measure.
Ingredients
- Apples: Be sure to use crisp baking apples that hold their shape when cooked. For example Granny Smith apples, Honeycrisp, gala apples, Braeburn, Macoun, Cortland, or pink lady apples.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon Juice keeps the apples from turning brown and keeps the filling from being overly sweet.
- Light Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness but also aids in the thickening of the filling. The sugar will also caramelize and help give the biscuits their golden, crispy outside.
- Ground Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon adds flavor and a bit of warmness to the filling. You could substitute for a smaller amount of apple pie spice, speculoos spice or pumpkin spice.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch is the thickener for the filling. You may also use tapioca flour.
- Unsalted Butter: The butter adds richness to the apple filling and aids in shortening the gluten strands in the biscuit dough, giving you a tender biscuit.
- All-purpose Flour
- Baking Powder & Soda: Using baking powder and baking soda gives the biscuit a more even rise in the oven.
- Kosher Salt
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream adds enough liquid to make a moist, tender biscuit topping. It also has fat that will add to the flavor and texture. You could also use whole milk or buttermilk instead.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Change the topping. Top this cobbler with the shortcake from my blueberry cobbler or the oat streusel topping from my easy apple crisp! You could also make it an apple crumble by using the cinnamon spiced crumble from my berry crumble recipe.
- Hot infuse the apple filling. Pre-cook the apple filling with vanilla bean, cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, cardamom, or cloves. Remove the infusing spices before assembling the cobber. Remember that you will be cooking the filling again, so test the apples and ensure they still have a little crunch.
- Individual Cobblers. Mini Cobblers are perfect for dinner parties and holidays. Chop the apples into bite-sized pieces, then scoop the filling in ramekins or small baking dishes and top with a scoop of the drop biscuit dough. They will bake faster, so keep an eye on and make sure the filling bubbles.
- Mix in more fruit. An apple cranberry cobbler does sound just delightful, add some ginger and a little bit of clove for a warm dessert perfect for this holiday season.
How to Make an Apple Cobbler
Use these instructions to make this easy apple cobbler! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Apple Filling:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional (no fan).
Step 2: Peel the apples and slice them in half and in half again. Cut out the core and stem from both sides with your knife on a diagonal. Repeat with all apples. Slice each quarter into 1/8- ¼ inch thick slices across. You can watch what I’m talking about in this apple pie video.
Use at least three different varieties of apples. Each apple has its own flavor profile, which will help create a more well-rounded apple cobbler.
Step 3: Mix the sliced apples, lemon juice, salt, sugars, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Taste an apple and adjust the seasoning if desired.
Step 4: Stir in the cornstarch once you are satisfied with the flavor.
Biscuit Topping:
Step 5: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to break up the sugar clumps to ensure even distribution of the leavening agents.
Step 6: Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix with the fork until it looks crumbly.
Step 7: Pour the cream into the dry ingredient mixture and mix until a few lumps remain. I switched to a silicone spatula for this step. Be careful not to over-mix at this step.
The biscuit topping can be made with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. It will just be easier to overmix, so be careful. I always find it best to finish the dough by hand.
Assemble and Bake:
Step 9: Pour the apple mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish and dot the butter pieces on top.
Step 10: Dollop the biscuit topping around the surface of the apples and spread it out slightly. It will not be perfect or smooth, but it will bake beautifully!
Step 11: Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown, about 40-45 minutes.
Step 12: Allow to cool slightly before serving. It can be served warm or at room temperature. It is just lovely served warm with vanilla ice cream.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
For the best biscuit topping, chill all your ingredients minus the butter beforehand. Cold ingredients will help prevent too much gluten from developing during the mixing process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store cooled cobbler wrapped well at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerated for a week, or frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat covered with foil in a warm oven set to 325°F until heated through.
Cobbler and Crisp are both a fruit dessert. Cobblers are usually topped with biscuits, shortbreads, cake batter, or cookie dough. The topping is generally spooned or dropped over the fruit, creating a cobblestone-like appearance. Cobblers are also usually heavier than a crisp. Crisps have a topping made of flour, sugar, butter, and sometimes oats.
I would strongly suggest peeling your apples for the cobbler. It technically isn’t necessary; the skins just won’t bake nicely and have a tendency to burn.
You can always go the classic route with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or slightly sweetened whipped cream. Try adding a drizzle of salted caramel sauce, vanilla crème anglaise, or cherry caramel ice cream. You could also serve it with spiced whipped cream and candied nuts.
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Easy Apple Cobbler Recipe
Ingredients
Filling:
- 8 apples approximately 1375g after cutting, mix of fuji, granny smith, honey crisp, etc
- 2 lemons juiced (1/4 cup)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon butter cut into small pieces
Biscuits:
- 1 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Apple Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F conventional (no fan).
- Peel the apples and slice them in half and in half again. Cut out the core and stem from both sides with your knife on a diagonal. Repeat with all apples. Slice each quarter into 1/8- ¼ inch thick slices across. You can watch what I’m talking about in this apple pie video.
- Mix the sliced apples, lemon juice, salt, sugars, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Taste an apple and adjust the seasoning if desired.
- Stir in the cornstarch once you are satisfied with the flavor.
Biscuit Topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to break up the sugar clumps to ensure even distribution of the leavening agents.
- Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix with the fork until it looks crumbly.
- Pour the cream into the dry ingredient mixture and mix until a few lumps remain. I switched to a silicone spatula for this step. Be careful not to over-mix at this step.
Assemble and Bake:
- Pour the apple mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish and dot the butter pieces on top.
- Dollop the biscuit topping around the surface of the apples and spread it out slightly. It will not be perfect or smooth, but it will bake beautifully!
- Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown, about 40-45 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving. It can be served warm or at room temperature. It is just lovely served warm with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef’s recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed cobbler, crisps and crumble recipes or the best apple dessert recipes. You will also love our peach cobbler recipe made with fresh peaches!
