Apple cobbler is a fall favorite in my house. It comes together super-fast with no chill time or waiting and it’s SO good! Apples, spices, and a sweet biscuit topping. This is the sort of dessert I love making for the family on a weeknight or when friends drop in unexpectedly. Really casual and fun to make but completely irresistible and did I mention it’s apple pie’s less fussy friend?
What You’ll Need for This Recipe
Apples: I like using Honey Crisps, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, and Cortland apples for this recipe but any eating apple you enjoy will work well. Avoid red delicious.
Half and Half: You can of course use a combination of milk and cream instead or just use all whole milk.
Brown Sugar: Light or dark brown sugar will work well so use what you have in the pantry.
How to Make Apple Cobbler
1. Peel and slice apples then transfer to a large bowl. Zest a lemon over the apples then toss with lemon juice.
2. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, corn starch, sugar, and vanilla. Toss to combine and set aside.
3. Add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder to your food processor and pulse to combine.
4. Add COLD, cubed butter to the dry ingredients then pulse until butter is in small, lentil-sized pieces. Pour in the milk and cream while pulsing. Use a spatula to do any final mixing. *You can make this by hand too, just mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and use your clean hands to work the butter in then drizzle half and half in and mix with a fork.
5. Layer the apple slices in your dish. Add a few pats of butter throughout then top with more apples.
6. Cover the apples with a thin layer of the pastry topping. Don’t bother trying to get a perfectly smooth layer or getting it all the way to the edge. I like to sprinkle some cinnamon sugar onto the topping but that’s optional. Bake at 350F for about an hour on until golden brown.
Pro Tips for This Recipe
- Choose firm apples you like. I used gala apples for this recipe but honey-crisp, and granny smith are great options too.
- If you LOVE a lot of apples in your cobbler consider adding two more large apples to the mix. You can slightly increase the other filling ingredients as well or leave them as is.
- You don’t have to make a giant dish of cobbler if you’re not serving a ton of people. Use an 8×8 inch dish then make individual cobblers in smaller dishes, which you can bake and freeze for later.
- No food processor? No problem! Just whisk the dry ingredients together then use a cheese grater to grate in FROZEN butter. Mix together and drizzle the milk and cream over it. Mix together with your hands one final time until just combined.
- Finish the cobbler with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar for extra crunch and depth of flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which apples should you use for an apple cobbler?
Apples with a nice balance of acid and sweetness are best for baking pies. Honey Crisps, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, and Cortlands apples are all great choices. Use your favorite and enjoy! I would not use red delicious.
Can you make it ahead of time?
This is best right out of the oven but you can totally make this dish a day ahead and warm up in the oven before serving or even microwave. You can freeze the baked cobbler and freeze for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bake at 350F for about 20 minutes to warm.
What is the difference between this and an apple crisp?
Apple cobbler has topping similar to a biscuit or pie dough while an apple crisp will often have oats and nuts for a crunchier top.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this apple cobbler recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Apple cobbler
Equipment
- 9x13 inch baking dish
Ingredients
For the Apples
- 4 lbs apples add an extra pound of apples if you want a thicker apple layer.
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice fresh
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter diced into small cubes
For the Topping
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter cold and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 3/4 cup half and half
Instructions
For the Apples
- Preheat oven to 350F. Peel apples and cut flesh from core. Cut into 1/4 inch slices and transfer to a large bowl.
- Zest a lemon onto the apples then squeeze about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice onto them. Toss to combine.
- Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and corn starch to the apples. mix until well-combined then set aside.
For the Topping
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar to your food processor and pulse to combine. You can also add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon if desired.
- Add the COLD cubed butter to the processor and pulse a few times until the butter is in small lentil-sized pieces.
- Pour the half and half into the processor while pulsing. Remove blade and use a spatula to give one final mix. See blog post for instructions on making this by hand.
For the Assembly
- Layer the half the apples in the 9x13 baking dish. Add a few pats of butter throughout then top with the remaining apples.
- Add a roughly 1/2 inch layer of the topping onto the apples. Sprinkle with a mixture of 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup sugar if desired.
- Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Video
Notes
- Choose firm apples you like. I used gala apples for this recipe but honey-crisp, and granny smith are great options too.
- If you LOVE a lot of apples in your cobbler consider adding two more large apples to the mix. You can slightly increase the other filling ingredients as well or leave them as is.
- You don't have to make a giant dish of cobbler if you're not serving a ton of people. Use an 8x8 inch dish then make individual cobblers in smaller dishes, which you can bake and freeze for later.
- No food processor? No problem! Just whisk the dry ingredients together then use a cheese grater to grate in FROZEN butter. Mix together and drizzle the milk and cream over it. Mix together with your hands one final time until just combined.
- Finish the cobbler with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar for extra crunch and depth of flavor.
