Apple Cobbler

Name: Apple Cobbler
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (softened, to grease baking pan); 1 ½ pounds Granny Smith Apples; 1 ½ pounds Honeycrisp apples ( Fuji, or Braeburn); ¼ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup dark brown sugar (packed); ¼ cup all-purpose flour; ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 2 teaspoons lemon juice; 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour; ⅓ cup granulated sugar (plus 1 tablespoon for topping); 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (cut into cubes); ¾ cup buttermilk; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

When craving a warm and cozy dessert, there’s something comforting about the aroma of apples baking in the oven, intertwined with notes of cinnamon and brown sugar. You’ll love this apple cobbler recipe with its flaky crust and delicious spiced filling.

Homemade apple cobbler in a bowl served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe Science

Baking apple cobbler allows the natural sugars in the apples to caramelize, enhancing their sweetness and creating a rich, deep flavor.
The biscuit or crumble topping on the cobbler crisps up in the oven, providing a delightful contrast in texture to the soft, tender apples beneath.
The juices released from the apples during baking combine with the spices and sugar to form a thick, flavorful syrup that saturates the cobbler, ensuring each bite is moist and delicious.

Why It Works

Once autumn hits, it’s time for baking fall desserts. If you don’t have time to make my classic apple pie, try this easy apple cobbler recipe instead! It combines tender, spiced apples with a sweet biscuit dough topping. I’ve taken my peach cobbler recipe and swapped the summer stone fruit with crisp and juicy apples.

There are two simple components: an apple filling and a cobbler topping. To balance the taste, the apples are seasoned with sugar, warm spices, and lemon juice. To concentrate the flavor, the fruit is pre-baked, then the dough is dropped on top. The cobbler puffs up and turns golden brown for a biscuit-like crust. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate à la mode experience.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make this apple cobbler recipe.

Apples: Use a combination of tart green apples and juicy Honeycrisp or Fuji. Granny Smith is great for baking as it holds their texture well. The sweeter apples add dimension and also stay firm when cooked.
Filling: The sliced apples are tossed with granulated and brown sugar, flour for thickening, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, and juice.
Cobbler Topping: Just like making homemade biscuits, the dough is made with all-purpose flour, butter, buttermilk, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. It’s lightly sweetened with granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to enhance the sweetness. The texture is thick but scoopable, so it must be added to the apples with a spoon.

See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).

Ingredient Substitutions

This recipe for apple cobbler is easy to customize! Give these delicious suggestions a try:

Apples: Switch up the Granny Smith and Honeycrisp with other types of apples like Fuji, Jonagold, Braeburn, or McIntosh. Use my apple pie filling and skip the pre-baking step!
Spices: Besides cinnamon and nutmeg, add in allspice, ginger, or cardamom. Add in a splash of vanilla. If you have pumpkin pie spice, use that instead.
Sweeteners: Try honey, maple syrup, agave, or coconut sugar.
Liquids: Swap lemon juice for orange juice, apple juice, or apple cider. Add in Cointreau, rum, or brandy.
Fruit: Add fresh or dried cranberry to the recipe. Raisins or golden raisins add extra sweetness.

How to Make Apple Cobbler

Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Baking Dish

Set the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 425ºF (218ºC). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with softened butter. Set aside.

Sliced apples and sugar in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 2: Prepare the Apple Filling

After a good rinse, peel and cut the apples into 1/2-inch thick wedges. This will help it retain its structure, giving a hearty fruit bite. You’ll need about 9 cups for the recipe. It sounds like a lot of volume, but they reduce in size significantly.

Toss the apples with granulated and brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon. The molasses in the brown sugar adds a caramel-like flavor to the filling.

Step 3: Pre-bake the Apples

Fresh apples contain about 80% water, which can cause a soggy cobbler topping. Pre-baking the apples before adding the biscuit dough drives off some of the moisture. Plus, when the moisture evaporates, the fruit flavor concentrates, and the texture is less crispy.

Spread the apple filling in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake at 425ºF (218ºC) until the filling starts to bubble and thicken, about 15 minutes.

Step 4: Prepare the Cobbler Topping

The cobbler topping is a loose biscuit dough, yielding a delicate texture. The base combines flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to give it structure. Break down pieces of cold butter to create a wet, sand-like texture.

Add buttermilk to hydrate the ingredients, and add a tangy flavor to balance the sugar. Don’t worry. The topping won’t taste sour. It will have a thick cake batter texture, perfect for dropping onto the pre-baked apples.

Cobbler dough placed of sliced apples in a baking dish.

Step 5: Assemble the Apple Cobbler

Add the cobbler dough on top of the apples in the baking dish. They should be about 2 tablespoons in size; they will spread as they bake. Spread the dough out evenly, about 12 mounds. After baking, I add a mixture of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to enhance the flavor and golden brown color.

Step 6: Bake the Cobbler

Bake the assembled apple cobbler until the surface of the dough is golden brown and set. The apples should be tender, with a syrupy glaze coating the fruit. The process takes about 30 minutes to cook the topping, with a total baking time of 45 minutes.

Bowl of apple cobbler and vanilla ice cream.

Step 7: Chill Before Serving

It’s hard to resist not eating the apple cobbler right away! It’s best to let it cool slightly to thicken the juices in the filling. My family requests it served warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of apples should I use for apple cobbler?

I prefer a mixture of two types that hold their structure. Granny Smith green apples and Honeycrisp. The variety gives a balance of tartness and sweetness. Green apples are dry, while red are juicy. You’ll need both for the filling to have a glossy sugar glaze. Golden Delicious, Fuji, Braeburn, Gala, or McIntosh are good swaps. Don’t use apples that break down like red delicious.

Should I peel the apples before adding them to the cobbler?

It’s best to peel the apples so that the texture is consistent. However, you can leave the skin on if you like a slight chew.

Can I use a gluten-free flour substitute for the topping?

Yes! It’s easy to swap gluten-free flour for all-purpose flour. Bob’s Redmill 1:1 gluten-free baking flour is my top choice.

Can I make the cobbler in advance and reheat it before serving?

The cobbler can be baked 2 days ahead, then reheated in a 375ºF (191ºC) oven until warmed through.

Can I prepare the apples in advance?

Here’s a time-saving tip when preparing the apples. The apples can be sliced and soaked in salt water to prevent browning for 10 minutes. Give them a good rinse, then store it in an airtight container for up to 3 days in advance. The salt acts as a preservative, keeping the flesh bright. Toss with the filling ingredients when you’re ready to bake the apple cobbler.