It's a simple dessert with a bottom layer of sweet, juicy cinnamon apples covered with a tender biscuit topping! Though it's one of our favorite fall desserts, this fantastic recipe can be made year-round. It keeps well and can be frozen.
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Easy Fall bake
This recipe today can be considered a basic cobbler recipe. Using apples makes it a perfect Fall dessert that's similar to an apple crumble and can easily replace the more laborious apple pie.
Rescue recipe: a dessert that saves the occasion because it comes together quickly, is a total crowd-pleaser, travels well if needed, and can be made year-round, not just during apple season.
Versatile: apples and cinnamon are a no-brainer, but they can easily be made with other fruits. Our most popular are the spiced pear cobbler, old-fashioned peach cobbler and the crowd-pleasing blueberry cobbler.
The first time I made this peach cobbler, I was 15 and decided on the spot that it was one of my favorite desserts. Decades later, I still love them.
There are different types of cobblers when it comes to toppings. Some use pie crust on top, like the peach pie crust cobbler and just know that you can use the apple filling from this recipe and top it with your favorite pie crust.
Ingredient list
There are two parts to this easy apple dessert, and both use everyday ingredients that you probably have at home right now.
For the apple filling:
- Apples: I'm partial to granny smith (the green ones) because they have a sharper flavor and hold their shape better, but any baking apple you regularly use works. For sweeter apples, you might consider reducing the sugar unless you like very sweet desserts.
- Lemon juice: a drizzle over the apples brings out the flavors and adds acidity.
- Brown sugar: light or dark.
- Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you normally use works fine.
- Cornstarch: it will thicken the syrup that forms with the fruit juices as they bake.
For the topping:
- All-purpose flour.
- Salt.
- Baking powder: make sure it's not expired.
- Sugar.
- Milk: use whole or almond milk.
- Unsalted butter.
Quantities are listed on the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Variations
- Fruit: use plums, pears, or peaches. Add some berries to the mix.
- Extra flavorings: use orange zest in addition to the lemon juice. Add a tablespoon or two of brandy, cognac, Calvados (apple liqueur), or apple cider to the fruit layer.
- Apple pie spice mix: use instead of the cinnamon. Or add another spice like ginger or nutmeg in addition to the cinnamon.
Types of apples to use
Depending on the kind of apples you use, you can vary the sweetness of this simple apple cobbler. I'm partial to tart apples, but some people like sweeter cobblers.
- Granny Smith apples: I use them exclusively (the green ones, my absolute favorites for baking due to their tartness). They bring some acid to the mix that complements the overall sweetness of the cake. And they hold their shape and don't turn mushy in the oven.
- Other popular apple varieties: if you have another favorite that you usually bake with (pink lady, gala apples, fuji, Honeycrisp apples), by all means, use it.
- A mix of apples: you can also mix them to create different textures and sweetness levels.
The fruit layer
- Apples: cutting the fruit in chunks works best. They make good-sized bites and hold their shape well after baking. You can also slice them. I think they're sometimes too large to eat, but it's up to you. Both ways work.
- Lemon: I find the drizzle of lemon juice to be essential in most cobblers and crumbles. No matter what fruit I use, they all benefit from citrus, which balances the butter and sugar. If using sweet baking apples, adding lemon juice is more necessary.
- Sugar: some sugar is added to the apples before the topping. It mixes with the cornstarch and liquid and creates a thick juice, much like it does in a pie. This is where you can add more or less, depending on your sweet tooth.
- Cornstarch: it acts as a thickener when mixed with the water and creates a wonderfully thick syrup that mixes with the natural juices released from the apples as they bake. It's added before the topping.
Apple layer
Place the apple pieces in the baking dish. They should cover ¾ of its capacity.
Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar and drizzle the lemon juice and cornstarch slurry. I don't stir everything before adding the biscuit batter, but you can.
The biscuit topping
This is my favorite part, as I love biscuits and scones.
The topping is similar to drop scones, a very old-fashioned recipe from Ireland if you ask my grandmother. However, it is also claimed to be from Scotland or England. A question for another moment.
- A one-bowl mixture that comes together in no time and doesn't even have to be spread carefully.
- It won't cover all the fruit, and that's the beauty of this dessert. It's rustic and irregular, with different textures in every bite.
- It bakes into a fluffy, starchy, and tender biscuit that pairs wonderfully with the warm and syrupy fruit.
Biscuit batter
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and add the melted butter and milk. Stir with a spoon or spatula until you have a thick batter, similar to a wet scone.
Topping
Drop mounds on top of the apples and lightly spread. Don't cover all the fruit, as the juices need space to bubble up during baking.
Baking
Make sure the biscuit topping is fully baked!
Sometimes, it's golden brown and dry on top, but it's still a little wet inside when you lift it, similar to uncooked pancake batter, even though the juices are bubbling. So check before removing this apple dessert from the oven.
It probably needs more time in the oven. A cobbler might look golden brown and have juices bubbling, but the topping might still be wet inside. Always check by lifting the biscuit and confirming it's fully baked. Also, check that your oven is at the right temperature and that the heat comes from the top and bottom.
It doesn't have enough thickening ingredients. The apple layer should include cornstarch or flour, so the juices thicken during baking.
Storing
Freezing: you can freeze this old-fashioned apple cobbler, and it keeps for 2-4 weeks in the freezer. Always well wrapped. To defrost: put it in the fridge overnight or leave it at room temperature before warming it in a 325°F oven before eating.
Refrigerating: keep it in the fridge for 4-5 days, well-covered or in an airtight container. Warm it before eating.
Serving
- Type of dish to use: since you'll be serving it from the baking dish, choose one you like placing on the table. Here are our favorite dishes for family-style desserts.
- Individual servings: use small ramekins to make individual apple cobblers. They are ideal if you have a dinner party.
- Whipped cream: warm with barely sweetened whipped cream is always a good plan. Or, as my father eats it, with unsweetened cream straight from the container.
- Ice cream: this is my favorite way to serve it, warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. And sometimes some toasted sliced almonds on top.
- Caramel sauce or dulce de leche: they pair very well with apples and cinnamon. I like to drizzle it on top of the whipped cream or ice cream, similar to how I serve the caramel apple dump cake.
Related recipes you might like:
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Easy Apple Cobbler Recipe
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 3 ½ pounds apples, fresh
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 6 tablespoons sugar, you can use up to ½ cup (8 tablespoons) if you want it sweeter
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon , or apple spice mix
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
For the topping:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
For the filling:
- Peel, core and cut 3 ½ pounds apples into chunks.
- Mix 3 tablespoons water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch until well dissolved and add ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (if using). Pour over the apples. Stir the apple mixture lightly and reserve.
For the cobbler topping:
- In a medium bowl, stir to combine 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Add ⅔ cup whole milk and 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and mix lightly until moistened. Don't overmix.
- Drop this topping over the filling in mounds.
- With the back of a spoon or a spatula, spread each mound a little, but don't cover all the apples.
- Bake for about 25 minutes. It will be golden on top, but if you lift the dough it will still have unbaked parts.
- Turn the oven down to 325°F (165°C) and bake another 15 minutes, or until very golden and the biscuit topping is dry and done. Lift it here and there carefully with a fork and check that the inside is fully baked.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
- Serve warm with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.
- Store leftover cobbler in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap. Or freeze for 3-4 weeks.
- Warm before eating.
Pete Peterson says
Going to use a variety of apples that had fallen from the tree. Will see if this performs as well as what my Mama used to make in the 50's!
Connie says
The Apple Cobbler sounds heavenly and I intend to make it, however in the ingredients list it says pears instead of apples. Just thought you'd like to know.
doris says
this recipe for Apple Cobbler not pears and was was wondering could you apples instead