This apple cobbler is made with tender cinnamon-spiced apples and a topping that tastes like a cross between a biscuit and a snickerdoodle cookie.
It’s apple season and the perfect time to make this cozy dessert. Warm fruit, cinnamon topping, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Does it get any better?!
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Why you’ll love this recipe
Quick: The filling and topping both come together in minutes.
Easy: No fancy techniques or equipment needed.
Flavorful: Warm spices paired with vanilla and lots of fresh apples.
Best topping: The topping is a cross between a buttery biscuit and a snickerdoodle!
Recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Apple filling: A combination of sliced apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and apple juice. Adding juice ensures that the apple mixture has plenty of sauce for spooning over each serving.
Cobbler topping: This topping is a cross between a buttery biscuit and a snickerdoodle cookie. Stir together flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. Add melted butter and vanilla and stir until well combined. No need for a mixer – this topping comes together in one bowl in just about a minute.
Assemble and bake: Scoop the apple filling into an 8×8 baking dish. Press pieces of the topping between your fingers and scatter the pieces on top of the apples. The cobbler will bake for about 50 minutes total.
Baking with apples
I like to bake with apples that have a balance of sweet and tart flavors. My favorites are Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Fuji. You can even use a combination of different apples.
Peel the apples and slice them thin. Make sure the apple slices are similar in size for even baking.
Bake the cobbler covered with foil for the first half of bake time, then remove the foil for the remaining bake time. This ensures the apples soften without the topping burning.
Serving and storage
Allow the cobbler to cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes. The juices will thicken up a bit as it cools. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Leftovers can be tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave. Note: the topping will soften over time.
Recipe
Apple Cobbler
Ingredients
Filling:
- 5 generous cups sliced peeled apples (see note)
- ¼ cup apple juice or apple cider
- 1-3 tablespoons granulated sugar, based on how sweet you want the filling
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping:
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
Instructions
Filling:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients. Note: apples should be sliced ¼ inch thick or smaller (this is important so that they soften during bake time). Stir until well combined. Pour the apple mixture into the prepared baking dish (along with all the juices) and arrange into an even layer.
Topping:
- In a medium bowl stir together sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter and vanilla (I use a rubber spatula). It will be thick, similar to sugar cookie dough.
- Take pieces of the topping and press them into flat irregular-shaped pieces, placing the pieces on top of the apples.
- Lightly spray a piece of foil with nonstick spray and place the foil over the cobbler. Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25-35 minutes, until the apples are tender and the topping is light golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Ashley says
The best fall dessert! Love the topping on this cobbler!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Lisalia says
YUMMY! A classic dessert. I served it with churro ice cream from Kroegers and it was out of this world! Thanks for this yummy and easy recipe!
Allison says
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Catherine says
I tried this and it didn’t last long! So easy and delicious. I ate it for breakfast and like it so much I try it again with peaches.
Allissia says
The apples does not seems to want to get done.
Allison says
If they’re sliced thin (as mentioned in the notes) they should soften with no problem. Was your baking dish smaller? Perhaps they are crammed into too small of a dish?
Gloriann says
I made a few tweaks to mine and it was SO GOOD! I used lemon juice instead of apple juice and added a pinch of nutmeg. Finally I made this crumble with some oats and a few more tablespoons of butter. DELICIOUS even when cold! This recipe is so good. Very proud of what I made and will definitely make this again!
Allison says
That sounds delicious! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Michele Armstrong says
This recipe is delicious! Was thinking about doubling it….have you done that and does it work in a 9×13?
Allison says
I haven’t tried it but I assume it would work. Enjoy!
Liz Hunt says
Are you able to make this a day or 2 ahead and then put topping on just before baking? Just wondering if the apples will stay fresh.
Allison says
I’m not sure if the apples will turn brown. They will likely let out quite a bit of moisture. You’d have to play around with it.
Lina says
Wasn’t my favorite and instructions aren’t clear.
Allison says
Sorry to hear that. What wasn’t clear about the instructions? I’m happy to clarify.
Laura Zavala says
Can I use apple pie filling from a can ? Thank you
Allison says
I’ve only made the recipe as written so you’d have to play around with it. You’ll definitely need to reduce the bake time since the apples will already be soft, and it’s going to be quite sweet.
Nancy says
I have not yet tried this recipe but I absolutely intend to as it sounds amazing! I would like dry ingredient measurements in grams as I weigh my ingredients. Depending on which website you look at, the weights are different. I will review this recipe once I have made it.