Cinnamon Plum Cobbler (with pie crust)

This is one of the best desserts I make during plum season. It comes together quickly and I love it with my cinnamon pie crust. The fruit bubbles up during baking creating a fantastic juicy syrup! Serve it on its own or with a scoop of ice cream, it's a total crowd-pleaser.

By now you might have noticed I love fruit desserts, and cobblers are one of the easiest ones to put together. Especially is the topping is pie crust!

Though I love a good old-fashioned cobbler with biscuit topping, there is a moment when my freezer is filled with bits and scraps of homemade pie crust. It's during those times when desserts such as this plum cobbler make an appearance.

As I mentioned in the peach cobbler recipe, there are different types of popular toppings and one of them is pie dough. Why? Because it's so darn easy and fast!

What type of pie crust can you use? Any type! Homemade or store-bought. As long as you like it, it's good to go.

Cinnamon pie crust

I love the combination of plums and cinnamon. And I also added some walnuts because they make a great flavor trio. But you can omit them, that's why I didn't add it to the recipe title.

This cinnamon dough is also amazing for making sandwich cookies, just so you know.

Simple steps

A bowl and a spatula, or wooden spoon, are all you need to make this pie crust, which is similar to the sweet shortcrust pastry, a post that has a video with the process, in case you want to watch it.

Mix the wet ingredients until you have a sort of soupy mess. The butter will not integrate completely and that is fine (images 1 and 2).

Add the dry ingredients (image 3) and finally the walnuts, if using (image 4).

The last step is integrating everything well until you have a smooth round of dough (image below).

After you add the dry ingredients to a pie dough work it as little as possible, just until it all comes together. You don't want the butter to start melting as it will render a tougher crust.

Vintage Kitchen Tip

The dough needs to rest at least for an hour in the refrigerator before cutting it into shapes.

Cutting the dough

Take the dough from the fridge at the last minute and roll it about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into the desired shapes and keep cold if you're not yet ready to use them. You can put them in a baking tray, cover it with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge.

Or have the filling ready, the oven turned on and then roll, cut and top the plums.

Filling ingredients

• Plums - of course, they're the star of this show, and I love regular red plums. They are easy to find and juicy enough for this dessert.
• Cornstarch - it thickens the syrup that is formed during baking.
• Sugar - I like to use good old white sugar as plums tend to be acid. But brown or even coconut sugar works.
• Citrus - I think orange pairs wonderfully with both plums and cinnamon. You can also use tangerine.

Assembling the cobbler

• Mix the filling ingredients: this is as easy as dumping the fruit in the baking pan, adding the rest of the ingredients and mixing it lightly (images 1 and 2). That's it, one less bowl to wash!
• Pie crust cut-outs: I like these large flowers (image 3), but ANY form can be used. But take into account that very intricate patterns might not hold the shape well after they are baked. My favorite ones are simple flowers, stars, hearts, and circles.
• The topping: I slightly overlap the shapes but leave space here and there so that the juices can bubble up and thicken while baking (image 4).

Make-ahead

• Crust - you can make it ahead and have it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, well wrapped. Or make it a month ahead and freeze it. When ready to bake put it in the refrigerator a day or two before you plan to use it so it thaws slowly.
• Filling - you can keep the sliced plums in the freezer for a few weeks before using it. Use them directly without defrosting them first.

Serving the cobbler

My favorite way is at room temperature with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. It also works well with a scoop of ice cream, as most cobblers do.

Individual desserts: make them in ramekins and serve each person their own little cute dessert.

Other recipes you might like:

Almond Plum Cake
Plum Crumble Tart
Pear Cobbler

If you want to read more about using the freezer for sweet things, check out my Freezer Baking & Desserts Guide. It's full of tips and ideas.

Let me know if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it. Thank you for being here, I appreciate it! Let’s connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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Cinnamon Plum Cobbler (with pie crust)

★★★★★ 5 from 8 reviews

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 45
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Desserts
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This is one of the easiest desserts I make during plum season. So easy to put together, I love it with my cinnamon pie crust and sometimes add walnuts. The fruit bubbles up during baking creating a fantastic juicy syrup! Serve it on its own or with a scoop of ice cream, it's a total crowd-pleaser.

*Estimated time does not include the time making the dough and refrigerating before rolling. 

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 2 cups (270g) all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (120g) walnuts, chopped, optional
• 1 cup (200g) white sugar 
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, at room t°
• 1 egg, at room t°
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the filling:

• 2 pounds (900g) plums, pitted and sliced in thin wedges
• 3-4 tablespoons sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Zest and juice of 1 orange

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Instructions

For the crust:

1. In a large bowl beat butter with sugar for a minute.
2. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
3. Sift the dry part: flour, cinnamon, and salt and add them in two parts to the butter mixture. Then add the nuts.
4. Mix everything together but don’t overwork the dough. It may be soft.
5. Pat it into a flat round, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour, until it relaxes and hardens.

For the filling:

1. Have ready an 8 or 9-inch square dish (I use glass or ceramic). 
2. Add the sliced plums and distribute them evenly. 
3. Sprinkle with the sugar, cornstarch, juice, and zest, and lightly mix everything. 

Assembling the cobbler:

1. Turn on the oven at 350°F/180ºC.
2. On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough (if it’s too hard when taking it out from the refrigerator, let it soften slightly, just until you can begin to roll it) sprinkling with additional flour if it sticks to the counter. 
3. Roll it about 1/4 inch thick.
4. Cut any shape you want and immediately top the cobbler with the dough pieces. Make sure you leave spaces without topping as the fruit juices need to evaporate a bit during baking and bubble up. 
5. Bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the cookie topping is golden and dry. 
6. Eat warm with a scoop of ice cream or at room t°. 
7. Refrigerate leftovers, wrapped. 

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Notes

Make-ahead: Crust - you can make it ahead and have it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, well wrapped. Or make it a month ahead and freeze it. When ready to bake put it in the refrigerator a day or two before you plan to use it so it thaws slowly. Filling - you can keep the sliced plums in the freezer for a few weeks before using it. Use them directly without defrosting them first.

Individual desserts: make them in single-serving ramekins and serve each person their own little cute dessert.

Variation: use another citrus, like tangerine or lemon, or another type of pie dough like sweet shortcrust pastry, or even chocolate pie crust if you like the combination with plums. Cardamom also works well with plums. 

Keywords: Plum cobbler

Paula Montenegro

I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe finder, sharing the best ones on this blog, with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.