Apple Cobbler Recipe

This is an apple cobbler heavily inspired by a peach cobbler recipe from [1], but I modified it to use apples instead of peaches and adjusted the spices accordingly. This is literally the best dessert I’ve made in a long time, and among the very few recipes that I successfully made on my first try without any modifications.

Ingredients

I sometimes like to grab random ingredients from the grocery store or whatever roadside stand I find myself at, and then try to challenge myself to make something tasty with what I have. The apple shurb was one such ingredient from around Pescadero, California. I am also the type to waste good alcohol on cooking, so I added gin to the filling as well – you can decide for yourself if you want to include it.

For the filling

• 4 pounds of apples, peeled, cored, and sliced: I tried to use 3 pounds of tart apples (like Granny Smith) and 1 pound of sweet apples (like Fuji or Honeycrisp) for a balanced flavor.
• 2/3 cup brown sugar: I always like to cut back on the sugar for most desserts, so I used 2/3 cup instead of 3/4 cup.
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoonn ground cinnamon: I doubled the cinnamon from the original recipe to balance the strong apple flavor.
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons apple shrub: this is a substitute for the lemon juice in the original recipe, adding a nice tangy apple flavor.
• 1 tablespoon London dry gin: I really can’t taste the botanical or alcoholic notes, but I guess the alcohol helps dissolve some of the flavor compounds.
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract: I increased this from 2 teaspoons to cut through the overall flavor since everything else is already quite strong.

For the topping

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt: I always find too much salt in my baked goods to be overpowering
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, frozen
• 2 cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing

Making the Topping

The topping is a drop-biscuit or shortbread stype topping that is dropped by spoonfuls onto the filling. It is a lot sweeter and lacks the laminated layers of a traditional biscuit.

1. In a large bown combine the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Toss the frozen sticks of butter in the flour mixture to coat, then, use a box grater to grate the butter into the flour mixture. Alternatively, you can cut the butter into small cubes and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of the heavy cream and stir with a rubber spatula until you have a shaggy dough.
4. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream if the dough seems too dry. Fold the mixture until you have a firm, evenly mixed dough with as few dry spots as possible. Do not overmix.
5. If necessary, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times to bring it together.
6. Use two spoons or a large cookie scoop to form the dough into pieces the size of golf balls.
7. Transfer the drop biscuits to the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Making the Filling

The hardest part of this recipe is peeling and coring the apples, so make sure to set aside enough time for that.

1. Slice the peeled and cored apples into 1/4-inch thick slices. This is thinner than the original peach cobbler recipe, since apples are denser and take longer to cook.
2. In a 12-inch skillet, combine the sliced apples, brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of water and cook over medium-low heat. Gently stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves and the apples start to soften, about 7-10 minutes.
3. You will be tempted to deglaze the pan at once before the liquid from the apple releases, but resist the urge – you want to cook off some of the liquid to concentrate the flavors.
4. Deglaze the pan with the apple shrub and gin, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
5. Continue to cook, shaking the skillet occasionally, until the liquid is syrupy and reduced to the point where the fruit is no longer fully submerged, and the apple slices are translucent and tender, 20-30 minutes.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
7. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the cooked apples and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil for 20 seconds to thicken the sauce, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
8. Transfer the filling to a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Assembling and Baking

1. Arrange the oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
2. Remove the drop biscuit dough from the refrigerator. Use your hands or a spoon to gently flatten each dough ball into a 2 1/2-inch round disk.
3. Arrange the drop biscuits on top of the apple filling in a single layer, leaving a little space between each biscuit to allow for expansion.
4. Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little heavy cream and spirkle with demerara sugar if available.
5. Bake the cobbler for 15 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges, about 35-45 minutes more.
6. Remove the cobbler from the oven and let it cool for at least 20 minutes before serving to allow the filling to set while the biscuits remain warm.

References

[1] Claire Saffitz. 2022. What’s for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People: A Baking Book. Clarkson Potter, New York.