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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Published: Jul 22, 2020 · Last update: Aug 19, 2021 by Paula Montenegro
    Income from ads and affiliate links12 Comments

    Plum Cobbler (easy recipe)

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    Silver spoon lifting plum cobbler from white bowl, pie crust flower covered in sugar; pin with text
    Glass dish with plum cobbler, silver spoon inside, pie dough cut-outs as topping. Image with text
    Plum cobbler in dish, a silver spoon, powdered sugar crust topping. Image collage with text

    This is one of the best desserts I make during plum season. It comes together quickly and is ready in under an hour. I love it with my cinnamon pie crust but you can use just about any pie crust you want. The juicy plum layer bubbles up during baking creating a fantastic syrup! Serve it on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it's a total crowd-pleaser.

    Table of Contents Open
    Cobbler topping
    Pie dough steps
    Dough cut-outs
    Plum mixture
    Assembling the cobbler
    Make-ahead
    Serving the cobbler
    Top tips
    More plum dessert recipes:
    Plum Cobbler (with pie crust)
    Ingredients
    Glass dish with plum cobbler made with a pie crust topping, a silver spoon inside

    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.

    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.

    Hand holding a white bowl with serving of plum cobbler and a silver spoon

    Cobbler topping

    There are different types of cobbler toppings, the most common one being a biscuit topping. It's probably the one that comes to mind when thinking about making this dessert. But another great one is pie dough. Why? Because it's so darn easy and fast to put a fruit cobbler together and you get to use those leftover pieces!

    For this plum dessert I love the combination of plums and cinnamon dough, to which I added some walnuts because they make a great flavor trio. But you can omit them, that's why they're not in the recipe title.

    Pie dough 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).
    • Integrate everything well until you have a smooth round of dough (image below).
    • Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. It needs to rest before cutting it into shapes.
    Collage making cinnamon dough. Glass bowl with butter and eggs, added dry ingredients, a red spatula

    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

    Dough cut-outs

    Take the dough from the fridge at the last minute and roll it about ¼ 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.

    Collage showing round of cinnamon dough on white surface and rolled with cut-outs

    Plum mixture

    • 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.
    Plums, an orange and white bowls with ingredients for cobbler filling, image with text

    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. That's it, one less bowl to wash!
    • Pie crust cut-outs: I like these large flowers, 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.
    Glass square dish with plum filling ingredients, a collage
    Top view of glass dish with pie crust topped plums, white surface
    Baked plum cobbler with flour dough cut-outs on square glass dish

    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.
    Partial photo of plum cobbler dusted with powdered sugar on a white surface, a silver spoon on the side

    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.

    Top tips

    • Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
    • Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes are as accurate as I they can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer that is placed inside the oven (like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust. 
    • Fruit layer: stone fruit in general works fantastically well in this recipe. On their own or a mix of them, like plums and peaches or nectarines.
    • Crust topping: you can use just about any pie dough you want, whether store bought or homemade. It can also be a chocolate dough recipe that pairs well with plums, or, if you like a sweeter plum cobbler, a sugar cookie dough, they type used for cut outs.
    • Make ahead: the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for a week or frozen for a month or more. You can use frozen fruit if there's no other option but be careful with the amount of liquid they will release. Use the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch stated in the recipe.

    More plum dessert recipes:

    • Fresh Plum Cake
    • Ina Garten's Plum Crumb Tart
    • Almond Plum Cake
    • Honey Grilled Stone Fruit

    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 in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it, and if you had issues, so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here, it's much appreciated.
    You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
    And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

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    Silver spoon inside glass dish with plum cobbler

    Plum Cobbler (with pie crust)

    ★★★★★

    5 from 8 reviews

    Print Recipe
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    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.

    • Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
    • Yield: 8 servings 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    For the crust:

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup walnuts, chopped, optional
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1 egg, at room temperature
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla

    For the filling:

    • 2 pounds fresh plums, pitted and sliced into thin wedges
    • 3-4 tablespoons sugar
    • 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch
    • Zest and juice of 1 orange

    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 a 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 cold 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 ¼ 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. 

    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. 

    • Author: Paula Montenegro
    • Prep Time: 20 minutes
    • Pie dough from scratch: 90 minutes
    • Cook Time: 45 minutes
    • Category: Desserts
    • Method: Baking
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: Plum cobbler

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alex says

      July 26, 2020 at 4:29 pm

      I love that you added cinnamon and walnuts to the crust! It sounds so flavorful. I'd take mine with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 🙂

      Reply
    2. Erin says

      July 26, 2020 at 4:16 pm

      I've never seen such a pretty cobbler! What a great idea to use cookie cutters. And I love baking with plums! They're so underrated.

      Reply
    3. GUNJAN C Dudani says

      July 26, 2020 at 2:26 pm

      I have never tried a plum cobbler ad I am so intrigued to try a cobbler. Your recipe looks doable and easy. Its well written and explained nicely.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Sophie says

      July 26, 2020 at 10:46 am

      We made it last night and what a delicious recipe. I always make berry cobblers, but this plum one was surprisingly good. Thanks a lot for the recipe.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    5. Ramona says

      July 25, 2020 at 9:33 am

      I have never made a cobbler before and know I am inspired to make my own! I love the colour of the plums, so pretty. It looks so juicy and delicious. I can’t wait to make this!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    6. Amy Liu Dong says

      July 24, 2020 at 11:27 am

      Oh wow, this recipe looks really delicious and such a perfect dessert to prepare for the kids. YUM!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    7. Liz Cleland says

      July 23, 2020 at 9:25 pm

      I have never tried a plum cobbler before. I honestly never thought to do this but now that you shared this I just HAVE to try it out, yum!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    8. veenaazmanov says

      July 22, 2020 at 5:21 pm

      I am drooling with your description of this Pie. Love the flavors and love the fruit too. Delicious.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    9. Candice says

      July 22, 2020 at 3:39 pm

      Plum and cinnamon should forever live together! This flavor combination was so easy, and I was shocked at how easy it was to make. Thank you for the great recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    10. Kathryn Donangelo says

      July 22, 2020 at 1:41 pm

      This cinnamon plum cobbler is so tasty and beautiful!! Also perfect to make year round 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
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