Easy Old Fashioned Apple Cobbler Recipe (2024)

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This easy apple cobbler recipe makes a perfect not-too-sweet dessert to savor the apple harvest. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Originally published in November 2016; this post has been updated.

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I grew up on an apple farm. From late August until mid-Octoberwe had fresh apples in bowls on the counter, in boxes in the barn, and hanging from the tree.Apples everywhere!An apple a day? Ha! More like half a dozen. And there’s nothing like a freshly harvested apple.

But besides eating them fresh, apples desserts were plentiful during harvest season. This apple cobbler recipe is one we’ve made for years. [And be sure to try my mom’s apple pie recipe, too!]

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This recipe originally came from one of those community cookbooks created by a coalition of apple farming families. I remember my mom working with a group of women to collect vintage family recipes from all over the apple growing community. The original apple cobbler recipe was much toosweet for our tastes, soI’ve modified this recipeto use less sugar.

What’s the Difference Between a Cobbler and a Crisp?

The difference between an apple cobbler and an apple crisp is in the topping.

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  • An apple crisp is topped with a crumbly mixture that usually includes oatmeal or flour, nuts, sugar, and butter. Once baked, the crumbly topping is a bit crispy.
  • An apple cobbler is topped with a batter or biscuit dough. The finished product has more of a bread-like consistency.

This is a cobbler, but it does maintain a bit of crispness, which is why we like it.

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Ingredients

Apples I love making apple desserts from Gravenstein apples, but they’re not commonly available. Granny Smith apples are a good choice, as is any other slightly tart apple. Read more about different apple varieties and how they stack up for baking here.

Brown sugar — The rich molasses flavor of brown sugar is delicious in this dessert. Use light or brown sugar, as you like.

Flour When I bake with all-purpose flour I opt for the unbleached version. Bleached flour is very white, but it’s also treated with bleaching agents that I don’t really need in my food.This recipe can be modified to work for a gluten free diet by substituting cassava flour for the all-purpose flour in this recipe.

Eggs — Fresh eggs, store bought, use what you have readily available.

Butter — Allow the butter to come to room temperature for easy mixing. I used salted butter; if you prefer unsalted, that will work fine.

Seasoning and Leavening Baking powder gives the cobbler topping a little bit of fluffiness. Salt and cinnamon add just the right amount of spice!

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How to Make this Cinnamon Apple Cobbler

Peel, core, and slice apples. Toss with a portion of the cinnamon. Combine the remaining cinnamon with the brown sugar.

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Transfer apple slices to a baking dish.

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Combine flour, baking powder, salt, remaining brown sugar in a bowl.

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Add egg and mix. Spread batter over the apple slices.

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Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon mixture on top. Melt butter and drizzle evenly over the top. Bake until golden.

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Serving

Allow cobbler to cool slightly before serving warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Storing

Leftover cobbler should be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Looking for more ways to use your abundant crop? I’ve gathered some of the best apple recipes from my collection for you.

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★ Did you make this easy apple cobbler recipe?Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!★

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Easy Apple Cobbler Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Quicker and easier than an apple pie made with double crusts, you'll love this easy apple cobbler! See my notes to make it a gluten free apple cobbler.

Ingredients

  • 6-8 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, divided
  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, or cassava flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

Instructions

  1. Combine prepared apples with one teaspoon of the cinnamon. Transfer to a 9" x 13" baking dish.
  2. Mix the second teaspoon of cinnamon together with 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Set aside.
  3. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, remaining brown sugar, and egg in a small mixing bowl. Spread batter over the apple mixture.
  4. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon mixture over the top.
  5. Melt butter and drizzle evenly over the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes in a 350 oven until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender.
  6. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

The number of apples you use in this apple cobbler will depend upon their size. Just be sure that your pan is filled to the brim with apples. As the apples cook, they will soften and settle.

To make this a gluten free apple cobbler, use cassava flour instead of all-purpose flour.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 346Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 239mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 4gSugar: 40gProtein: 2g

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More fruit desserts to try:

  • Pear Crisp
  • Rhubarb Crisp
  • Peach Cobbler
  • Grandma’s Apple Pie
  • Strawberry Cobbler
  • Apple Cobbler
Easy Old Fashioned Apple Cobbler Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between apple crisp and apple cobbler recipe? ›

Cobbler: A fruit dessert made with a top crust of pie dough or biscuit dough but no bottom crust. Crisp/crumble: In Alberta, the terms are mostly interchangeable. Both refer to fruit desserts similar to cobbler but made with a brown sugar streusel topping sometimes containing old-fashioned rolled oats.

Is cobbler dough the same as pie crust? ›

Cobbler is sometimes described as a kind of fruit pie, but strictly speaking, the two are different. Pies are made from pastry, rather than biscuit batter, and they are fully encased, with a crust at the top and the bottom, while cobblers typically only have a topping.

How do you keep apple crisp from getting watery? ›

The best way to prevent a watery apple crisp is to use a thickener in the filling – some recipes use flour, but I've chosen to use cornstarch in this recipe (or arrowroot starch, which can be substituted 1:1 for cornstarch) because I think it provides superior thickening power.

How do you make Martha Stewart apple crumble? ›

In a large bowl, toss together apples, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; transfer to prepared dish. In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in 1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt until large pieces form. Scatter over filling.

What is the best cooking apple for apple crisp? ›

What Makes A Good Apple For Apple Crisp? The best apples for baking keep their structure under heat, which prevents the chunks of fruit from turning into mush after baking. The firm and crisp Granny Smith and Honeycrisp varieties are popular apples to use in apple pies and apple crisps.

What's the difference between brown betty and apple crisp? ›

Both are very similar apple desserts, but the difference mainly comes down to the crumble topping: Instead of the flour and oat mixture used in an apple crisp, an apple brown betty uses breadcrumbs for its crumbly, delicious topping.

What is cobbler topping made of? ›

In a cobbler, the topping is a dough with a rising agent like baking powder that bakes up into a slightly sweet, biscuit-like topping. In crisp, the topping is made with flour, sugar, butter, oats and sometimes nuts without a leavening agent. The topping is sprinkled over the fruit before baking.

What is cobbler dough made of? ›

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt and pulse just to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolk, vanilla and cold water.

How do you know when a cobbler is done? ›

A probe thermometer inserted in the center of the cobbler should reach 200°F in the thickest part of the topping. The filling should be bubbly around the sides, and the tops of the biscuits should be more deep amber than golden.

Should I cover my apple crisp while baking? ›

Baking: Start baking the apple crisp covered with foil. This allows the apples to soften without any risk of the topping over-browning. After about 20 minutes, remove the foil and let the crisp finish cooking uncovered. Once the juices are bubbling, the topping is golden brown, and the apples are tender, it is done!

Why didn't my apple crisp get crispy? ›

How can I make my apple crisp crispy? If your butter to flour to sugar ratio is off, it will result in a less crispy topping. You want to be careful not to add too much flour or too little. Also, we love adding old fashioned rolled oats to our crumble because it really gives it a nice crunch.

Why did my apple crisp get mushy? ›

The cooking time and spices cooking down into the apples, caused the dark color and mush. I have made pies professionally, and Granny Smith does often get mushy. Their tart flavor profile still makes them desirable in pie. 400' for 50 min to 1hr should do it!

What is the secret to crunchy crumble? ›

A pastry chef friend shared the technique. Instead of sprinkling the raw crumbs on top of the fruit, where they absorb the juices and turn a little mushy on their undersides, he spread them out in a pan and baked them separately, until crisp and cookielike.

How do you make Aunt Bessie apple crumble mix? ›

Cooking Guidelines
  1. Place fruit / filling into an ovenproof dish (if using fresh fruit, also add the water and sugar).
  2. Sprinkle the crumble mix over the fruit / filling and rake with a fork to even out any lumps and level the top.
  3. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 30-40 mins until the crumble is golden brown.

What's the difference between apple streusel and crumble? ›

If you are wondering what the difference is between crumb topping and streusel, not much is the answer. Both are crumb toppings containing the same ingredients but streusel often has more sugar, cinnamon, nuts and or oats included.

What is another name for apple crisp? ›

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Apple crisp is a dessert made with a streusel topping. In the US, it is also called apple crumble, a word which refers to a different dessert in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Why do you put lemon juice over the apples when making an apple crisp? ›

Add a little extra fresh lemon juice to help prevent the apples from turning super brown. Prepare the entire apple crisp, cover well, and refrigerate the night before baking. Don't wait any longer than overnight before baking, to prevent the apples from browning too much or drying out/spoiling.

What is the difference between a crumble and a crisp recipe? ›

A crumble is just a crisp without oats in the streusel. It may feature nuts, but the streusel topping is usually a simple combination of butter, flour, and sugar that is more clumpy than that of a crisp.

What's the difference between apple pie and apple cobbler? ›

What makes a cobbler different from a pie? The biggest difference between a cobbler and a pie is the placement of the dough. Pies have, at a minimum, a bottom crust with the fruit placed on top, while a cobbler has the fruit on the bottom and a dolloped dough on top instead.

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