Sweet spiced apples are blanketed with a soft, fluffy topping in this comforting, homestyle apple cobbler. Give the apple filling a quick pre-cook on the stove, and then top with an easy batter that comes together in 1 bowl—what a dream!
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)
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.
Recipe Testing Apple Cobbler – 9 Times
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?
This Is How You’ll Start: Peel and Slice the Apples
Start with the apple filling. You can skip peeling the apples if you’d like, but many prefer peeled apples in desserts. I use and love (affiliate link) this OXO peeler. Slice up the apples and place them in a saucepan.
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 baking dish. 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.)
Firmer apples are ideal for baking. Avoid soft, mealy, and mushy apples. For depth of flavor, it’s best to bake with a mix of tart and sweet apples. Use tart Granny Smith, Braeburn, Jonathan, or Pacific Rose. And use sweet Jazz, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Fuji. For a detailed list of my favorite apple varieties and when to use each, you can visit my post The Best Apples for Baking.
Any 3–4-quart baking dish works, such as a 9×13-inch dish. The pictured one is by Magnolia Home and no longer available; this rectangle pan and this oval pan are similar.
You can, but it’s 100x better fresh. I found that the apple filling dried out a bit after freezing and thawing, and the cake-like topping is a bit wet. If you want to try it, however, freeze baked and cooled cobbler for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and see reheating instructions below.
Yes. See detailed instructions below.
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.)
Apple Cobbler Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour (includes pre-cook)
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Yield: serves 12
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American
Description
Sweet cinnamon-spiced apples are blanketed with a soft, fluffy topping in this comforting, homestyle apple cobbler. Give the apple filling a quick pre-cook on the stove, and then top with an easy batter that comes together in 1 bowl—what a dream! See Notes for best apples to use and how to halve the recipe, if needed.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan (or any 3–4-quart baking dish works).
- Pre-cook the apples: Melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the apple slices, brown sugar, lemon juice, flour, and spices. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the apples are coated and begin to soften. Transfer apple filling to the prepared baking pan.
- Make the topping: Whisk the melted butter and sugar together in a medium bowl. Add the buttermilk, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk until combined and mostly smooth. Some small lumps are OK. Pour and spread the batter over the apples. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar evenly over the top. Use a butter knife to gently swirl the topping as best you can (the apples get in the way a bit, and that’s fine).
- Bake on the center rack for 48-55 minutes or until the topping is golden and the apple filling is bubbling around the edges. If you find the top of the cobbler is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil (I usually do this about halfway through baking). Remove from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm, room temperature, or cold; on its own or topped with vanilla ice cream and/or salted caramel sauce.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or bake, covered, in a 300°F (149°C) oven, for 20 minutes or until heated through.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: I do not recommend preparing and refrigerating the cobbler, unbaked, because the batter thickens the longer it sits. Also, the baking powder is initially activated once mixed with wet ingredients. The only way to prepare ahead of time is to cook the apple layer, cool, cover, and then refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Freezing Instructions: This dessert is 100x better fresh. The apple filling dries out a bit after freezing and thawing, and the cake-like topping is a bit wet. If you want to try it, however, freeze baked and cooled cobbler for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. See reheating instructions in step 6.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Vegetable Peeler | Saucepan | Silicone Spatula | 9×13-inch (3–4-quart capacity) Baking Dish (the one pictured is by Magnolia Home and no longer available; this rectangle pan and this oval pan are similar | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Apples: I like to use a mix of tart (like Granny Smith) and sweet (like Honeycrisp) apples. Here are the best apples for baking.
- Buttermilk: You can use either low-fat or whole buttermilk. If you can’t find either, use whole milk. No need to make a buttermilk substitute with lemon juice or vinegar. Avoid lower-fat milk.
- Serving Suggestion: Top with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce and/or vanilla ice cream.
- Can I Halve This Recipe? Yes; use a square 8-inch pan or round 9-inch cake pan or pie dish (square 9-inch pan is too big). Follow the recipe above, but halve all of the ingredients. The pre-cook time for the apples is about the same. The bake time is about 40 minutes.
- Can I Use Pears Instead? Yes. Same amount. The pre-cook step may need to be reduced if the pears are particularly soft, probably around just 3 minutes.
