There are many ways to make apple cobbler but this recipe is my all-time favorite.
The recipe includes saucy cinnamon and clove spiced apples baked under a chewy cookie topping. The gooey brown sugar topping takes about 5 minutes to make and tastes like a soft, buttery sugar cookie.
My favorite way to make apple cobbler is in a cast iron skillet, but the recipe also includes instructions for baking cobbler in a regular baking dish.

I can think of few things more delicious than Homemade Apple Cobbler, freshly baked and still warm, served all by itself or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
But, it's possibly even better the next day, eaten straight out of the pan for breakfast, preferably in your bathrobe, a hot mug of coffee close at hand.
This Apple Cobbler is similar to my all-time favorite Berry Cobbler and Peach Cobbler with a few modifications. Mainly, of course, there are apples instead of peaches or berries.
But all three recipes include a chewy sugar cookie topping that is pure heaven. Seriously. I can't get enough of the stuff.
Jump to:
- What’s the Difference Between Apple Cobbler and Apple Crisp?
- Ingredients Needed to Prepare this Recipe
- 3 Easy Steps to Prepare this Recipe
- How to Bake Cobbler in a Cast Iron Skillet
- Other Good Pans to Use
- What Apples are Best for Cobbler?
- Do You Have to Peel the Apples?
- Advanced Preparation and Storage Tips
- More Popular Apple Recipes:
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
What’s the Difference Between Apple Cobbler and Apple Crisp?
Cobblers are called cobbler because of the topping. Unlike pie crust, where the dough is rolled out into a flaky pastry, cobbler topping is messily dropped or spooned over the fruit filling so that it resembles a cobbled road.
A fruit crisp also has a topping that is sprinkled over the filling. The difference is that a crisp topping is, well, crispy. Unlike the soft texture of a cobbler, the topping for a fruit crisp should have some crunch and often also includes things like chopped nuts or oatmeal to give it texture.
There are basically two kinds of cobbler in the world:
- The kind with a biscuit topping
- The kind with a cookie-like topping
This apple cobbler is the cookie covered variety. It's super saucy, but not overly sweet. And, the topping is this wonderful combination of textures - slightly crisp and crumbly on top, and deliciously soft and chewy in the middle.
It's the kind of thing that you scoop into a bowl and eat with a spoon on those days when you just KNOW that saucy apples covered in butter and brown sugar is the kind of self care you need RIGHT NOW.
Ingredients Needed to Prepare this Recipe
- Sweet apples. Pretty much any kind of apples will work in this cobbler, but I prefer sweeter varieties such as honeycrisp, ambrosia, jazz, sweet tango, or pink lady.
- Lemon juice. A bit of lemon juice will keep the apples from browning as you slice them and adds a nice amount or extra acidity to the cobbler filling to balance out the sweetness.
- Brown sugar. Using brown sugar adds an incredible toffee-like flavor to both the apple cobbler filling and the gooey cookie topping. Use either dark or light brown sugar.
- Granulated sugar. A combination of white and brown sugar in the cobbler topping creates the perfect chewy, tender, cookie-like texture.
- Vanilla and almond extract. I love the flavor of using both vanilla and almond extract in this cobbler, but you can use only one or the other if you prefer.
- Salt. Salt balances and intensifies all the other flavors in this cobbler.
- Cornstarch. A bit of cornstarch thickens the apple filling into a scoopable, saucy consistency.
- Ground cinnamon and cloves. The perfect compliment to apples and brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour. Preferably unbleached.
- Baking powder.
- Butter! This is an all-butter cobbler topping. I usually use salted butter, but use unsalted if you want more control over the amount of salt in your cobbler topping.
3 Easy Steps to Prepare this Recipe
Step # 1. Toss some apple slices with lemon juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Dump the whole mess into a pan and bake for 15 minutes while you make the topping.
Step # 2. Dump all the topping ingredients into a bowl and mix. Pull the cobbler from the oven, and use your fingers to drop the topping all over the fruit.
Step # 3. Bake until the topping is golden brown and the sauce from the apples is thick and bubbly.
Also, your house is going to smell soooooo good right now.
How to Bake Cobbler in a Cast Iron Skillet
Cast iron pans are wonderful for saucy desserts that need to be baked at a relatively low temperature because cast iron is an excellent conductor of heat. This helps ensure that your cobbler will bake evenly regardless of whether or not you have any hot spots in your oven (which you most certainly do).
The main thing to know about baking cobbler in a cast iron pan is that it's super important to make sure the pan is well seasoned.
In new, unseasoned cast iron pans, the acid in the lemon juice and apples can set off a reaction that causes the cobbler to take on a slight metallic flavor. Not exactly what we're going for here.
If you've been using your cast iron pan for a while and are pretty good at taking care of it, it will work beautifully for this recipe.
How to season a cast iron pan:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Scrub the skillet in warm, soapy water and dry it with a cloth.
- Pour a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil into the skillet and spread it around, or rub the inside of the pan with vegetable shortening to coat. Do the same thing on the outside of the pan so that the entire pan is coated in a thin layer of oil or shortening.
- Place the skillet upside down in the center of your oven, directly on the oven rack. Place a sheet of aluminum foil below the rack to catch any drips. Let the pan bake for an hour, then turn off the heat and let the pan sit in there until completely cool.
Other Good Pans to Use
You can also bake this cobbler in a square or rectangle glass or ceramic baking dish. If using a 9x12 or 9x13 rectangle baking dish, you can follow the recipe exactly as written with no modifications.
If using an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish, reduce the amount of apples to 2 ½ pounds and the cornstarch to 1 tbsp. Keep all the other ingredients the same.
The only kind of pan to avoid is one that's made with aluminum.
Aluminum will react with the acid in the apple filling and give the whole cobbler a metallic taste that is not at all pleasant.
What Apples are Best for Cobbler?
I prefer using sweet apples in this cobbler recipe such as Honeycrisp, Ambrosia, Jazz, Sweet Tango, or Pink Lady.
There are two main reasons why I like to use sweet apples to make cobbler:
- The fruit filling calls for a decent amount of lemon juice. When combined with cornstarch and sugar, the lemon juice creates a thick syrup that makes the baked apple filing saucy and delicious.
- Sweet apples balance the tart flavor of the lemon juice. Using sweet apples means you don't need to use a lot of sugar to achieve the perfect balance of tart and sweet.
I like to save tart and sour apples like Granny Smith and Macintosh for things like Caramel Apple Pie. In that recipe, which includes a sweet crumb topping and plenty of caramel sauce, tart apples keep the pie from becoming cloying.
Tart apples also hold their shape even after a long bake time. This is a plus when cutting and serving slices of pie. But, cobbler is meant to be scooped out in messy spoonfuls. If the apples get soft while baking, it only contributes to the comforting saucy deliciousness.
Do You Have to Peel the Apples?
I prefer to peel the apples for this cobbler because the skins don't break down while baking and their tough texture interferes with the saucy texture of the filling.
But, peeling the apples is not a hard and fast rule. It's simply a matter of personal preference. If you'd rather leave the skins on, go for it.
I do recommend chopping the apples into smaller pieces if you decide to leave the skins on. Slice the apples as directed, then cut the slices into three pieces. This will ensure you don't have any long apple skins swimming around in all that saucy goodness.
All you need to prepare the apples is a sharp knife: Cut the apples into quarters then cut out the core and slice off the peel.
But, if you really want to make quick work of the task, use an apple corer and peeler, like this one from CucinaPro.
Advanced Preparation and Storage Tips
If you want to prepare this apple cobbler ahead of time, you have a few options:
- Follow the recipe to make the apple filling, allowing it to bake for 15 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature. Prepare the topping and, when the filling is cool, sprinkle the topping over the fruit. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Prepare the apple filling, but don't bake it. Instead, put it into an air-tight container and put it in the refrigerator. Prepare the topping, put it into a separate container and pop it in the refrigerator. The filling and topping will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, follow the recipe to bake the filling for 15 minutes before adding the topping.
- Bake the apple cobbler as directed. Allow it to cool at room temperature then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Serve cold, or reheat in a 350 degree oven.
More Popular Apple Recipes:
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave me a comment, or take a picture and tag it @ofbatteranddough on Instagram.
📖 Recipe
Apple Cobbler
There are many ways to make apple cobbler but this recipe is my all-time favorite.
The recipe includes plenty of saucy cinnamon and clove spiced apples baked under a chewy cookie topping. The gooey brown sugar topping takes about 5 minutes to make and tastes like a soft, buttery sugar cookie.
If you like this recipe, you'll also like my two other favorite cobbler recipes: Peach Cobbler and Berry Cobbler.
Ingredients
For the Apple Cobbler Filling:
- ¼ cup (62.5ml) lemon juice
- 3 ½ lbs (1.58kg) sweet apples (See note)
- ⅓ cup (73g) packed brown sugar (light or dark)
- ½ teaspoon (2.5g) almond extract (optional)
- ¼ tsp table salt (1.42g) - OR ½ teaspoon (3g) kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon (15g) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon (2.64g) ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (1.1g) ground cloves
For the cookie topping:
- 1 ¼ cup (187.5g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (2.64g) ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ teaspoon (5g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt (2.84g) - OR ¾ teaspoon (4.5g) kosher salt
- 10 tablespoon (142g) butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoon (139.38g) packed brown sugar (light or dark)
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon (62.5g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5g) pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Apple Cobbler Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C). Coat a well seasoned (*see note) 12-inch cast iron skillet with a generous layer of butter. You can also use a square or rectangle baking dish – see recipe notes.
- Put the lemon juice into a large bowl.
- Slice the apples into quarters, cut out the core, and slice off the peel. Cut each quarter into 3 slices and add to the bowl with the lemon juice. Stir the apples in the lemon juice to coat, to keep them from browning.
- Add the rest of the filling ingredients to the bowl with the apples and toss gently to mix. Pour the filing into the skillet or baking dish, smoothing it out into an even layer, and bake for 15 minutes. While the apple filling bakes, prepare the cobbler topping.
Make the Apple Cobbler Topping:
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a bowl and stir to mix. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula just until all the dry ingredients are moistened and the mixture comes together into a soft dough. Do not over mix.
- Remove the pan with the apple filling from the oven. Use your fingers to crumble the topping over the apples into an even layer. Put the pan back in the oven and bake for an additional 40 - 45 minutes, until the apple filling is bubbling up all around the edges of the pan and the topping is golden brown and set.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 15 minutes before scooping into bowls and serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Notes
What kind of apples should I use for this cobbler?
You can use any kind of apple you like in this cobbler, but I tend to like sweeter varieties such as honeycrisp, ambrosia, jazz, sweet tango, or pink lady.
Why do you recommend using cast iron for this cobbler?
If you're using a cast iron skillet, it's important that it's well seasoned. If the pan is not well-seasoned, the acid in the apples and lemon juice can react with the cast iron, giving the cobbler a slightly metallic taste. But, well-seasoned pans can handle acidic foods with impunity.
What other baking dishes can I use besides cast iron?
Instead of a cast iron skillet, you can bake this apple cobbler in a 9x13 rectangle or 9-inch square baking dish.
- If using a 9x13 rectangle baking dish, follow the recipe as written.
- If using a 9-inch square baking dish, reduce the amount of apples to 2 ½ pounds and the cornstarch to 1 tbsp. Keep all the other ingredients the same.
Does Apple Cobbler need to be refrigerated after baking?
Apple Cobbler will keep well at room temperature for up to 8 hours. After that, cover it and place it in the refrigerator. Refrigerated, the cobbler will keep well for up to 3 days.
How to serve apple cobbler
Serve apple cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some lightly sweetened whipped cream. If you really want to take your cobbler game to the next level, serve it drizzled with whisky sauce or salted caramel sauce.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Apple Peeler and Corer by Cucina Pro - Long Lasting Chrome Cast Iron with Countertop Suction Cup
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Le Creuset Stoneware Heritage Rectangular Dish, 4 qt. (12" x 9"), White
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KOOV Ceramic Bakeware, 8x8 Baking Dish, Square Baking Pan, Ceramic Baking Dish, Brownie Pans for Cake Dinner, Kitchen, Texture Series (White)
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Amazon Basics Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet - 12-Inch
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 359Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 416mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 6gSugar: 32gProtein: 3g
Alicia says
Omgggggggg I have had to make this 6 times since August for various things 😂😂. But mainly because my husband loves it with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and a light caramel drizzle. It’s so good! Thank you for sharing.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I love this so much Alicia!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! You made my night! xo
Maggie says
This turned out beautifully the first time so now I am making it for a crowd of teenagers. I need to have it ready at 3 p.m. in the middle of my work day. I am considering doing the first bake of the apple filling and making the topping the day before, then putting them together and finishing the bake immediately beforehand. Any thoughts on that method? Would it be better to bake it completely the day before, store in the fridge and then heat it up again in the oven right before serving? Thank you!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Maggie! Either option will work, but the cobbler is best freshly baked, so I'd suggest going with your idea to do the first bake and make the topping the day before and then spread the topping over the apples and bake the afternoon you are serving it. It is still quite good the next day, and can definitely be reheated, so if that works best for your schedule, don't let it deter you. However, it is "best" freshly baked.
What lucky teenagers to have you making cobbler for them! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Debbie says
Can I use Fuji apples for this recipe?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Debbie! Yes! You can use Fuji apples in this cobbler. Please let me know if you have any other questions! And I'd love to know what you think of this cobbler after you make it! xo
Kim says
Could you tell me how many cups you think, because I am not sure if I have 3 1/2lbs
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Kim! One pound of apples will give you approximately 3 cups. So, for this recipe, you'll need between 10 - 11 cups of sliced apples. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Coral says
Fabulous recipe! I've made it twice now, so I must like it. Very easy to put together and a welcome change of pace from apple crisp. Thanks so much for sharing this✌️🍎
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am SO happy to hear that you like this recipe so much Coral! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know. I truly appreciate it! xo
Sandy says
Why is it different from apple crisp
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Sandy! Fruit crisps typically have a streusel topping that gets crispy while it bakes. Cobblers have a soft biscuit, cake or cookie topping. Does that answer your question?
Jennifer says
Rebecca,
I used 3 lbs. of Ambrosia apples to make your Apple Cobbler with a Cookie Crust recipe and let me just say, it was AMAZING! It is absolutely the best cobbler I have put in my mouth. Even the picky eaters in my house loved it. They loved it sooooooo much, they want it added to the Thanksgiving menu this year. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. It will definitely be a keeper in our house for years to come.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Jennifer!!! I am so happy to hear that you and your family liked this recipe so much! And I love Ambrosia apples - they are the perfect kind of apple to use in this cobbler. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! You've made my whole week. xo