“You expected to be sad in the fall. Part of you died each year when the leaves fell from the trees and their branches were bare against the wind and the cold, wintery light. But you knew there would always be the spring, as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen.”
To be completely honest, I hate making pie. Now that’s not to say that I hate eating pie, I love pie! You see, every time I have tried making homemade pie dough I have completely failed. It’s my one baking weakness so far. Well, pie dough and laminated doughs in general. And I believe the reason why is because I naturally have very, very warm hands. The butter quite literally melts as soon as it comes in contact with my hands.
I have tried every tip and trick out there; keep your ingredients cold, put the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes if it starts to get at all warm, etc. to no avail. In the past two years I have completely ruined two otherwise perfectly fine pies because the crusts were just that awful. They were tough, dry, or under-baked. One of them, when I removed that pie weights after the exact time that the recipe specified, puffed up in random spots and could not be fixed. I have never, ever, been able to make a successful pie dough. I haven’t given up on the venture altogether, just temporarily.
However, just because I have temporarily given up on pie dough does not mean that I will not be making a Apple-filled dessert this Autumn. I decided that I would just make something that I knew I could make. A recipe that didn’t mind if my hands were a little warm; something a little more forgiving. I decided to make something that also didn’t require any blind-baking, pie weights, or excessive rolling and rotating. Say hello to Apple Cobbler.
What is a ‘Cobbler’ exactly?
Not to be confused with a “Crumble”, a Cobbler is a fruit based dessert that is put into a baking dish and topped with a biscuit or batter topping. The most common cobbler is probably Peach Cobbler and there are many, many different versions of that. I can’t say I have tried very many cobblers in my life but my all time favorite cobbler has been one made by my best friends mother— hey Cassie! She goes to a local orchard each year and makes peach cobbler for Cassie’s birthday with the best in-season peaches.
There is something so satisfying about a dessert as simple as cobbler. All you do is toss fresh fruit (any kind, really) with sugar and spices, pour it into a baking dish, and top with homemade biscuits. After that, all you have to do is bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is thick and bubbling. You can serve it room temp or slightly warm with a healthy scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Cobbler truly is a dessert that can be made year round with any in-season fruit and will never disappoint.
For my Apple Cobbler, I kept the recipe pretty close to a classic cobbler with a few innovations of course. First lets talk about the filling. I decided to use Honeycrisp Apples because they are perfect baking apples. They don’t turn to mush and keep their shape pretty well. As it’s name suggest, they are ‘crisp’, meaning they are firm and refreshing. Flavor wise they also strike the perfect balance between sweet and tart, making them perfect for sweet applications.
The filling also has one other “surprise” element that takes it to the next level and that is the addition of crème fraîche. The crème fraîche (basically fancy sour cream) gives the filling an extra level of tang and also gives it a touch of creaminess which is typically not found in apple or fruit-based desserts. I really do love how the crème fraîche makes the filling creamy and how it pairs with the spices. It takes the filling to another level and I do not think it should be omitted from this cobbler— or any cobbler for that matter.
Now lets talk about the biscuit topping. This is a pretty simple biscuit topping recipe but again, with one kicker. This biscuit topping uses a combination of heavy cream and crème fraîche to create a perfectly tender, sweet, and slightly tangy biscuit. Now you don’t necessarily taste the crème fraîche or it’s tanginess. I just found that when I used only heavy cream, the biscuits lacked depth. Typically this can be solved with adding lemon zest but I had extra crème fraîche lying around and decided to try it in the biscuits and they came out amazing.
After you’ve made the filling, biscuits, and assembled the cobbler, you just need to bake it until the top is golden brown and the filling is thick and bubbling. I do 100% recommend lining a baking sheet with foil and placing your baking dish on that. The apple filling will bubble over the sides and will drip down into your oven. Trust me on this one. At the very least place the baking dish on a baking sheet. The foil will just save a lot of clean up time later on.
As for how you should actually serve this Apple Cobbler, I just recommend scooping some into a bowl and topping with a scoop or two of vanilla bean ice cream. Sure, you can make ice cream homemade, but why give yourself the extra headache when this is already an easy recipe? Just buy a good quality store-bought ice cream!
And may I say, this cobbler is truly amazing. The apple filling is the perfect balance between sweet and tart and the spices remind me of Autumn, creating the most perfect fall dessert. And the biscuit topping… this may be my favorite part of the recipe. They are tender, flaky, and the perfect pairing with the filling. It all comes together to make the perfect fall dessert. And if you’re like me, it’s the perfect alternative to the classic Apple Pie. Honestly, I think I like this Apple Cobbler more than Apple Pie. There, I said it.
If you try this recipe, or any other from the blog, please share your thoughts, feedback, or photos with me (@persona.kitchen). I would love to hear from you all! And also let me know what fall/winter/Christmas recipes you would like to see on the blog. I love interacting with you all and I love hearing all of your suggestions for the blog. Happy baking everyone!
Apple Cobbler
Ingredients
For the Cobbler Topping
2 Cups Flour, plus more for rolling
¼ Cup White Sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cubed
1 Cup Heavy Cream
⅓ Cup Créme Fraîche
3 Tablespoons Butter, melted
Coarse Raw Sugar, for topping
For the Apple Filling
4 Pounds Honeycrisp Apples— about 5 or 6 Apples
½ Cup White Sugar
½ Brown Sugar, packed
¼ Crème Fraîche
½ Lemon, juice only
¼ Tapioca Starch or Cornstarch
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cardamom
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
Directions
Make the Biscuit Topping
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add in the cubed butter and toss to coat in flour. Using your hands, flatten the pieces of butter between your fingers.
In a measuring cup, whisk together the heavy cream and crème fraîche. Using a fork, slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Once everything is fully incorporated, knead the dough a few times by hand to form it into a rough ball. Dump the shaggy dough-ball on a floured work surface.
Roll the dough into a square that is 8x8 inches. Cut the dough into 4 even squares. Stack the squares of dough on top of each other. Press the dough down a little bit with your hands and then roll the dough out once more so it is ½” thick.
Using a small 1 inch round cookie cutter, cut as many biscuits out as you can and place them on to a plate. Once you’ve cut as many circles as possible, gather up the dough and roll it out again. Cut as many biscuits out as you can again. Place the plate of biscuits into the fridge while you prepare the apple filling.
Prepare the Apple Filling
Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Peel the apples and slice them so they are about ¼” thick and place them in a bowl.
Add in the brown sugar, white sugar, crème fraîche, lemon juice, tapioca or cornstarch, cinnamon, cardamom, and kosher salt. Toss everything together to combined. Make sure that every apple is coated in the “sauce”.
Place the apples in your baking dish. Remove the biscuits from the fridge an place them in an even layer on top of the apples, overlapping slightly. Brush the biscuits with the melted butter and sprinkle with the raw sugar.
Place the baking dish onto the foil-lined baking sheet and place in the oven.
Bake the Apple Cobbler for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350℉ and bake for another 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the apple filling is bubbling and thick.
Remove the Apple Cobbler from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes before eating. If you dig into it too soon the filling will be too hot and too thin.
Once properly cooled, scoop out some Apple Cobbler into a bowl and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes:
Here is the baking dish I used for this recipe: Ikea White Oval Dish here. You really can use any baking dish you’d prefer- even a classic pie dish! And you can also half, or double this recipe as needed. If you need to serve a large crowd you could double the recipe and bake it in a 9x13” pan. You may need to adjust the baking times slightly.