After enjoying many over the years and recently testing 9 variations—yes, NINE!—my team and I are confident THIS is the one and only apple cobbler recipe you ever need to make. (It’s definitely the only way we will ever make it again, because I’m tired of trying other variations. LOL) Another reader, Alessandra, commented: “My first time making apple cobbler and it was a complete SUCCESS thanks to this recipe! ★★★★★“
Here’s Why You’ll Love It:
Comforting, homey feels: A buttery soft topping cloaks a warm, gooey apple filling with lots of cozy spice flavor. This is perfect comfort food to cuddle up with on chilly fall evenings. If apple trees could give hugs, this is what it would feel like. Easier than pie: No question apple pie is a favorite dessert, but it’s also a true labor of love. A fruit cobbler requires no chilling or cooling steps, no special tools, and no decorating skills! If you can slice apples and stir, you can make this apple cobbler. A great beginner baking recipe. Quicker than pie: Sometimes we need a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s ready to eat sooner rather than later. Apple crisp also fits the bill. Simple ingredients: You likely have most of these basic ingredients in your kitchen already. It’s also a nut-free, egg-free baking recipe.
Ingredients You Need for Apple Cobbler & Why:
Butter: A little melted butter goes in the filling, and the rest goes in the topping. Brown & White Sugars: Thanks to its molasses content, brown sugar adds flavor as it sweetens the apple filling. We’re using white granulated sugar in the topping, because brown sugar can weigh it down. (Tried and tested that, trust me!) Lemon Juice: A squeeze of lemon keeps the apples’ flavor fresh and bright. Flour: Just a bit in the filling, to thicken it. The rest is for the topping. Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice: apples’ favorite spices. We include them in this apple cake, too. Buttermilk: Buttermilk is your best bet here, for the softest, most delicious topping. You can use low-fat or whole buttermilk, whichever you can find at the store. If you can’t find it at all, whole milk works. No need for a buttermilk substitute, because we’re not really looking for a highly acidic ingredient. Vanilla & Salt: Flavor enhancers. Baking Powder: This leavener lifts the topping up as it bakes.
This Is How You’ll Start: Peel and Slice the Apples
Start with the apple filling. Peel and slice your apples using a peeler (that’s an affiliate link to the one I use and love!), just like we do for baked apple cider French toast. You can skip peeling the apples if you’d like, but many prefer peeled apples in desserts. Slice up the apples and place them in a saucepan. It took us a surprisingly long time to figure out the best way to make apple cobbler—which is supposed to be a relatively simple dessert. To pre-cook the apples or not to pre-cook the apples? Slices or chunks? Biscuit topping or batter topping? Apples on top or apples on the bottom? My lead recipe tester, Beth, and I just couldn’t seem to get it quite right.
First, we started out by testing a biscuit-style topping, like we use on peach cobbler and berry cobbler. However, peaches and berries are both a lot juicier than apples, and the biscuit-topped variations kept coming out unappealing and dry.
So we switched to testing a batter-based apple cobbler, like how we make this easy cherry cobbler. But those kept failing us, too. The apples were too heavy to sit on top of the batter, and prevented the dish from baking through. Keeping the butter separate also created strange and unappetizing-looking craters on top. They all tasted pretty gummy, too.
Back to the drawing board. We knew what didn’t work for apple cobbler. So what did?
Success Tip: Pre-Cook the Apple Filling
Just a few minutes of gentle cooking gives the apple slices a head start on softening and releasing some juice so the filling doesn’t dry out. Plus, they get coated in a gooey cinnamon-spice brown sugar sauce that thickens up nicely as it bakes. We tested this step by baking the apples in the oven for the pre-cook step, but they didn’t become as gooey and soft. Instead, they dried out. The stove is the best choice. Transfer the apple filling to a lightly greased 9×13-inch (3–4-quart capacity) baking dish. The pretty one pictured is by Magnolia Home and no longer available; this rectangle pan and this oval pan are similar. Next, you’ll…
Whisk Together the Batter for the Topping
You’ll appreciate that the batter for the topping comes together with just 1 bowl and a whisk! After multiple rounds of testing (whole milk, apple cider, apple juice, sour cream…), the champion ingredient for this apple cobbler topping was clearly the thick and creamy buttermilk. Pour and spread the batter over the apple layer in the baking dish, and then top with a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar. Use a butter knife to give the topping a gentle swirl, for a subtle marbling effect. Look how pretty! This cinnamon apple cobbler takes less than an hour to bake. You’ll know it’s done when the apple filling is bubbling up around the edges… and by the glorious baked apple smell wafting through your kitchen! This cobbler is best served warm; no need to wait for it to completely cool. (Music to your ears and taste buds.) Vanilla ice cream is this dish’s best friend and I’m pretty confident no one will turn down a drizzle of salted caramel sauce, either. From my kitchen to yours, here is the best apple cobbler I’ve ever had. (And I’ve had way too many at this point.)
Topping
6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled) 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt optional: 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, for sprinkling
