Apple Cobbler
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This apple cobbler is everything you want in a fall dessert—warm, cinnamony apples, a golden biscuit topping, and plenty of cozy vibes.
There’s a fruit cobbler for every season, and this apple cobbler is one of my fall favorites. Sweet-tart apples are tossed with cinnamon, sugar, and just a touch of flour before being topped with an easy biscuit batter that bakes up golden while soaking up the bubbling apple juices below.
Unlike apple pie, there’s no pastry to roll out or chill, making this recipe perfect for everything from weeknight baking to holiday gatherings. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and don’t be surprised if everyone comes back for seconds.
Love cobblers? When summer rolls around, don’t miss my peach cobbler and blueberry cobbler recipes!
“I have made so many apple cobblers…this is without a doubt the best recipe ever.”
Cobbler vs. Crisp vs. Crumble vs. Buckle: What’s the Difference?
Cobblers, crisps, crumbles, and buckles all share the same basic idea—fruit baked with some kind of topping—but each has its own signature. Cobbler gets its name from a biscuit-like topping dropped over the fruit in big, uneven mounds. It bakes up golden and craggy, like a cobbled stone path. That’s different from an apple crisp or crumble (streusel on top) or a buckle (fruit scattered over a cake batter).
What You’ll Need To Make Apple Cobbler
- Baking Apples: For the best flavor, use a mix of tart and sweet baking apples. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonagold, Jonathan, and Golden Delicious are all excellent choices (mix different varietals for a more nuanced flavor).
- Sugars (Granulated & Dark Brown): Sweeten the apples and create a syrupy filling as they bake. The brown sugar adds a hint of molasses, while a bit of granulated sugar in the biscuit topping gives it a light crunch.
- All-Purpose Flour: Pulls double duty—thickening the apple filling by soaking up the juices and forming the base of the biscuit dough.
- Cinnamon: Adds cozy warmth that pairs perfectly with the apples.
- Butter: Brings richness to the filling and makes the biscuit topping tender and flaky.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Give the biscuit topping its lift and fluffy texture. (Curious why the recipe uses both? See my post on baking soda vs. baking powder.)
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture and a slight tang, while activating the baking soda for extra rise. If you don’t have any on hand, see my post on how to make buttermilk using milk and vinegar/lemon juice.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the apple filling. Toss the sliced apples with both sugars, flour, and cinnamon until evenly coated.
Step 2: Make the biscuit topping. Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work in the cold butter until it looks like coarse crumbs with small pea-sized pieces still visible. Then stir in the buttermilk just until combined.
Pro Tip: Don’t overmix once the buttermilk goes in—the dough should look lumpy and a little rough, not smooth. That texture is what makes the topping bake up flaky instead of dense.
Step 3: Assemble the cobbler. Spread the apple filling in the baking dish and dot with butter, then drop the topping over it in big, uneven mounds, leaving some gaps so the filling peeks through. Bake until bubbling and golden.
Step 4: Bake and serve. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Let the cobbler cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. It needs that time for the filling to set up properly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Pro Tip: Keep an eye on it during the last 10 minutes of baking. If the topping is browning too fast, loosely tent it with foil.
More Apple Desserts You May Like
Video Tutorial
Apple Cobbler
Ingredients
For the Apple Filling
- 2½ lbs large baking apples, about 5 large, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick (see note)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing the pan
For the Biscuit Topping
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 7 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
- 1 cup buttermilk (see note)
For Serving (Optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease an 8-inch (20-cm) square or 2-quart (2-L) baking dish with butter.
- Make the Apple Filling: In a large bowl, combine the apples, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Toss until the apples are evenly coated. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and pat into an even layer. Dot with the 2 tablespoons butter.
- Make the Biscuit Topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cold butter and smoosh with your fingers (or cut in with a pastry cutter) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within. Add the buttermilk and stir until just combined and evenly moistened. It will look lumpy; that's good. Do not overmix.
- Using a large spoon, dollop 8 to 10 spoonfuls of the biscuit batter over the apples, allowing the filling to show through in spots (most of the filling will be covered). Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar over the batter.
- Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the top is golden, about 45 minutes (keep an eye on it during the last 10 minutes; if it looks like it's getting too brown, cover it loosely with aluminum foil). Let the cobbler cool for 15 to 20 minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Notes
- For the best flavor, use a combination of tart and sweet baking apples, such as Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Gala, Jonagold, Jonathan, and Golden Delicious. (Don't use all tart or all sweet, or the flavor won't be balanced. I typically use 2 Granny Smith, 2 Golden Delicious, and 1 Honeycrisp.
- If you don't have any buttermilk on hand (or don't want to purchase a whole carton), it's easy to make your own. Check out the easy method here.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The cobbler can be made one day ahead and kept, covered with foil, at room temperature. Reheat, covered with foil, in 300°F (150°C) oven for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and continue reheating for 15 to 20 minutes more, or until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jen,
Love your recipes!
Can this Apple Cobbler recipe adapted to be dairy free and if so, how?
Hi Sharon, So glad you like the recipes! I think you could make this dairy free by using coconut oil in place of the butter and making your own buttermilk (see the note/link at the bottom of the recipe for a how-to) with a non-dairy milk. Please, LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Jenn,
I made this recipe for the first time last night and found that the apples did not cook down as I had anticipated. The next time I make it, I will precook the apples and put the dessert in a larger pan as my 8X8″ pan spilled over. Needless to say, the flavor was delicious!
Thank you for the amazing recipes you share with your subscribers,
Beth
Delicious! I used all granny smith apples because it was all I had and we loved it!
Good morning Jenn….
I haven’t sent a comment in a while,but I’ve been happily baking & making many of your recipes from each of your cookbooks & emails 😊.
I’ve baked this cobbler more X than I can count, and it’s one I continue to come back to, THANK YOU for another wonderful recipe!
My question:
I’d like to add blueberries.
What do you think,and what would you guesstimate about ratios? Also, should I use fresh or can I use frozen?
Thanks again,
Lisa
Hi Lisa, So glad you like the recipes! Yes, I think you can get away with using some blueberries here. I’d replace one of the apples with 1 cup of blueberries. Also, b/c blueberries are more tart, I’d add another tablespoon or two of either of the sugars. And it’s fine to use frozen blueberries. I’d love to hear how it turns out! 🙂
I love this recipe! The crust is the best part, it feels so light! I made it and my family really liked it as well. Thanks for the great recipe!
This is a fantastic recipe. However, I felt like the apple to dough ratio was low so I increased the apples. I was using honeycrisp which is a sweeter apple, so reduced the white sugar to 4 tablespoons (instead of the 6) and made it using 10 apples. It was soooooooo good. I will have to see how it does with granny smith apples. Also, I’m in high altitude (6300 ft) and the dough was perfect after 30 minutes. Thank you for this recipe!
I mean, that I doubled the apple recipe, with the reduced sugar amount.
This cobbler is CRAZY good! I followed the recipe as written and it came out just perfectly. So tasty and delicious, the perfect comfort food on a winter day. i drizzled some heavy cream over it as i prefer that to whipped cream or ice cream. If i had to change anything i might use just a little bit less sugar as there is a good amount in the recipe between the dark sugar and the granulated. But thats just me – it is wonderful as it is. I used 2 organic Honeycrisp and 3 Fuji apples and that seemed like the right combination of sweet and tart. I will be making this again! 2nd winner recipe from this website and im so glad i found Jenn Segal. Will be trying out some of her savory recipes.
Looks and tastes amazing! Everybody loved it and wanted more. This is the cobbler you’re looking for. I followed the recipe except for adding 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp cloves. I pre-cooked the filling till it was half cooked. After that I refrigerated it for 2 nights to let the spices bloom. I used tart apples which came out perfectly using the sugar called for in the recipe. Finally, real buttermilk does add a delicious accent to the topping.
Just made it for family thanksgiving to try something different than pie. Huge hit!!! I can see why it has 5 stars. Just sent the recipe to all of my friends
So bomb! I couldn’t get enough of this cobbler! I used Granny Smith green and Honeycrisp apples and they paired together so perfectly! I added some lemon juice to them as well as a little more cinnamon and some nutmeg. I also added a little cinnamon to the biscuit mixture. The biscuit mixture seemed a little runny but it baked up just fine! Five out of five would definitely recommend this recipe!