How To Make Southern-Style Fruit Cobbler with Any Fruit (2024)

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  • Desserts

Emma Christensen

Emma Christensen

Emma is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories

updated Jan 21, 2020

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How To Make Southern-Style Fruit Cobbler with Any Fruit (1)

This makes a very sweet cobbler with a topping somewhere between a sugar cookie and pie crust.

Serves6 to 8Prep15 minutes to 20 minutesCook45 minutes to 55 minutes

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How To Make Southern-Style Fruit Cobbler with Any Fruit (2)

Cobbler may be the best reason to turn on the stove in the summer. Jammy fruit, crisp and buttery topping — all you need is a scoop of ice cream.

This particular cobbler might just be the easiest I’ve ever made. It’s the kind of recipe you make once and then remember forever. You can make it with a spatula or a soup spoon, in a New York apartment or at your vacation beach house, with peaches or with any other fruit you want to turn into dessert.

A Southern-Style Cobbler

I was first introduced to this cobbler by Elizabeth Passarella, one of our very first Kitchn writers and a true Southern lady if I ever met one. Here’s what she has to say about this cobbler:

I learned this cobbler from my Mississippi grandmother, and to this day, I’ve never seen an actual recipe written down. The method for the topping goes like this: Combine equal parts flour and sugar, and add enough melted butter to make a dough.

I’ve made it with apples and pears in the winter, and peaches and blackberries in the summer. I’ve made it in giant casserole pans and individual ramekins. It’s impossible to screw up. If your fruit is ripe, you can’t go wrong. – Elizabeth, October 2011

This makes a very sweet cobbler with a topping somewhere between a sugar cookie and pie crust. Let me repeat that: a topping that is equal parts cookie and pie crust. If you aren’t already pulling out the ingredients as you read this, I’d wonder what was wrong with you!

Guesstimating the Fruit Filling

The fruit filling for this cobbler is a true choose-your-own adventure. As Elizabeth said, you can use any summer fruit you like — or any combination! Use enough to fill your baking pan between halfway and three-quarters full. This is generally four to seven cups of sliced fruit.

If your fruit is a bit tart, stir in some sugar (I like brown sugar, personally!). On the flip side, if your fruit is very sweet, you might want to add a few tablespoons of lemon juice to balance it out. Also, if your fruit is very juicy and you’d like a filling that is a little more set, like a pie, then stir in a tablespoon or two of cornstarch.

A dash of spice never hurt a cobbler, either. Cinnamon and nutmeg go well with just about any fruit; add a dash or two if you like.

Making the Topping

This topping truly is as easy as one-two-three, or maybe even just one-two. Mix the flour, sugar, and melted butter until they form a dough. It will be quite sandy and will tend to crumble, but you should be able to form it into patties. If not, add a little more flour.

This recipe makes enough for a 9×9-inch pan, an 8×8-inch pan, or a 9-inch pie pan — whatever dish is handy will work. If you have any topping leftover, scatter the crumbs over the top of the cobbler. They’ll bake into extra-crispy bites.

The Finished Cobbler

As it bakes, the top of the cobbler becomes golden and cookie-like, while the undersides of the “cobbles” absorb the fruit juices. I absolutely love this blend of crunchy and soft.

Cobblers are also meant to be looser and more juicy than pie, so don’t worry if yours ends up seeming soupy. Just scoop up the fruit with a slotted spoon and drizzle the syrup over top.

While you can serve this cobbler hot from the oven or after its cooled on the counter for a few hours, I actually think it’s at its finest the next day — especially if you’re on vacation and can justify having it for breakfast. Why not?

What are your favorite cobbler variations?

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Preheat the oven to 350°F while you prepare the cobbler. Place a rack in the middle of the oven. (Image credit: Emma Christensen)

Comments

Southern-Style Fruit Cobbler Recipe

This makes a very sweet cobbler with a topping somewhere between a sugar cookie and pie crust.

Prep time 15 minutes to 20 minutes

Cook time 45 minutes to 55 minutes

Serves 6 to 8

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

For the fruit filling:

  • 4 to 7 cups

    sliced fruit

  • 1/2 to 1 cup

    sugar or brown sugar, optional

  • 1 to 3 tablespoons

    lemon juice, optional

  • 1 to 3 tablespoons

    cornstarch, optional

  • 1 to 2 teaspoons

    spice, like cinnamon, optional

For the cobbler topping:

  • 1 1/2 cups

    all-purpose flour

  • 1 1/2 cups

    sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    salt

  • 1 1/2 sticks

    (12 tablespoons) butter, melted and no longer piping hot

Equipment

  • 8x8-inch baking pan, 9x9-inch baking pan, or 9-inch pie pan

  • Mixing bowls

  • Measuring spoons and cups

  • Baking sheet or aluminum foil, to catch drips

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a rack in the middle of the oven.

  2. Prepare the fruit: Prepare the fruit as necessary — wash, peel, stem, seed, slice, and so on. Give it a taste and mix in some sugar or lemon juice as needed. If your fruit is juicy or you'd like a more firmly set cobbler, mix in some cornstarch. Mix in spices, if desired.

  3. Transfer the fruit to the baking dish: The fruit should fill the dish halfway to three-quarters full, leaving a good inch or so of extra space for the cobbler topping.

  4. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt for the cobbler topping in a bowl.

  5. Mix the melted butter into the flour and sugar. Warm butter is fine, but if it's still piping hot from being melted, let it stand for a few minutes before mixing.

  6. Mix to form a crumbly dough: The cobbler topping will be quite sandy and crumbly, but should hold together when you pinch it. If not, add a little more flour.

  7. Pat handfuls of dough into thick palm-sized disks. The disks should be 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick — no need to be super exact, though!

  8. Lay the disks over the fruit filling: Overlap the disks to make a "cobblestone" look. If you have any extra topping, crumble it and sprinkle it over the surface of the cobbler.

  9. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes: Place the cobbler on a baking sheet to catch drips, or place aluminum foil beneath it in the oven. Bake the cobbler until the topping is turning golden around the edges and the fruit filling is bubbling, 45 to 55 minutes.

  10. Cool and serve: Let the cobbler cool for at least a few minutes so it doesn't burn your mouth! The cobbler can also be served room temperature, or the next day. Cover and refrigerate the pan with any leftovers.

Recipe Notes

  • Leftover cobbler topping can also be used to make smaller, individual cobblers in ramekins, or you can refrigerate it for a few days or freeze it for up to 3 months.

This recipe and post have been updated — first published by Elizabeth Passarella October 2011.

Filed in:

baked goods

Baking

Dessert

easy

How To

Keeps Well

How To Make Southern-Style Fruit Cobbler with Any Fruit (2024)

FAQs

What is cobbler topping made of? ›

The method for the topping goes like this: Combine equal parts flour and sugar, and add enough melted butter to make a dough. This makes a very sweet cobbler with a topping somewhere between a sugar cookie and pie crust.

What's the difference between a fruit cobbler and a crumble? ›

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.

What is fruit cobbler made of? ›

Cobbler is a dessert consisting of a fruit (or less commonly savory) filling poured into a large baking dish and covered with a batter, biscuit, or dumpling (in the United Kingdom) before being baked.

What makes a good cobbler? ›

You can bake a cobbler with just fruit as the filling, but a little sugar and cornstarch tossed with the fruit before baking will work together to create a lush sauce from the fruit's juices. This is the thing that turns a good cobbler into a knock-out dessert.

What ingredient makes a crisp different from a cobbler? ›

Interior: Crisps get their name primarily from their crisp, streusel crumb topping, but the interior fruits can be slightly crispy as well. In contrast, cobblers are soft-centered and often include a biscuit dough bottom crust.

Is cobbler crust 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.

What is the original cobbler? ›

Cobblers were people that didn't know their trade well and the dessert came from the same English thinking. The colonist didn't have the proper ingredients to make a traditional suet pudding so they used second best and ended up with a cobbler. Meaning not as good as the real suet pudding but still pretty tasty.

What's the difference between a fruit pie and a fruit cobbler? ›

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. The doughs used are also different, with a pie typically using a rolled-out pastry versus the dropped biscuit topping of a cobbler.

What fruit mixes well with peaches? ›

Try mixing peaches with strawberries, or pair peaches with mangoes for a delicious tropical smoothie taste. In addition to strawberries, peaches are also excellent paired with other berries like blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.

What are two things used by cobbler? ›

GIZMO Hand Tools, Pincer Plier, Multifunction Carpenter Pincer 8", Carpenter Cobbler Pincer Tools Plier For Home Industrial Tools Nickel Finish Home Tools Combination Plier
  • cobbler tools for shoe repair.
  • cobbler anvil.
  • leather cutting tools.

What can you use to thicken a cobbler? ›

Some kind of starch is typically what's used to thicken cobblers (and pies, slumps, or grunts, such as in our Mixed Berry & Cornmeal Slump). Their thickening powers come from their ability to absorb water, which causes the starch granules to swell and burst, thickening the liquid.

What materials do cobblers use? ›

Such items are generally made of leather, wood, rubber, plastic, jute or other plant material, and often consist of multiple parts for better durability of the sole, stitched to a leather upper part. Trades that engage in shoemaking have included the cordwainer's and cobbler's trades.

Is cobbler filling the same as pie filling? ›

While a pie is made with a bottom crust and often a top crust, the dough and the fruit filling cook together in a cobbler. Peach cobbler is best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, but it's also delicious cold.

What is the difference between a crisp cobbler crumble and a buckle? ›

Though crumbles, crisps, and cobblers are more akin to pie, a buckle is a lot like cake. In fact, they look nearly identical to fruit-filled coffee cakes. As the batter rises in the oven, the weight of the fruit causes it to “buckle.”

Why is pie called cobbler? ›

Cobbler's name comes from its sometimes cobbled texture, which is a result of spooning or dropping the topping over the fruit rather than distributing it equally. This way, the filling can peek through.

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