This easy apple cobbler recipe is made with a sweet apple filling in a sugar-cinnamon sauce topped with a buttery cobbler topping. A simple homemade dessert for fall!
We enjoy crisps and cobblers all year-round! In the summer it’s peach cobbler or blueberry crisp and during fall it’s apple crisp or easy apple cake!
Table of Contents
Old-Fashioned Homemade Apple Cobbler
There is no such thing as having too many apple desserts for the fall. A quick apple dump cake is one I can easily whip up and when I’m entertaining I’ll bake this apple tart recipe.
This easy apple cobbler recipe is one I come back to time and time again, though! The apple filling cooks down in an apple juice and cinnamon sugar sauce then it’s topped with a sweet, buttery, crispy cake-like topping that will rival grandma’s cobbler any day!
Best Apples to Use for Baking
Unless you’re making apple sauce, you want fresh and firm apples that hold their structure and do not turn to mush when cooked down.
- Golden Delicious: These are golden yellow and green in color which is larger than most other apples.
- Honeycrisp: My personal favorite is a Honeycrisp apple, they are crisp with honey-sweet flavor.
- Granny smith apples: Green Granny Smith apples are tart and pair well with the sweet cinnamon sugar sauce.
- Braeburn: Braeburn apples are known as “all-purpose” apples because they are great for both eating and baking.
- Gala: Gala apples are a cross between Golden Delicious and Kidd’s Orange Red apples. They are the most popular apples grown today and readily available.
- Pink Lady: Pink Lady apples are a variety of apples that are known for their pink blush and tangy flavor. They have a firm texture and are high in sugar and acids, which makes them sweet with a hint of tartness.
How to Make Apple Cobbler
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Cook: Cook the apples, apple juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour apple pie filling into a 9×13″ or 9×9″ (for a thicker crust) baking dish.
- Mix: Add the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Once it is mixed together, add in the flour and baking powder. Stir biscuit topping until just combined.
- Add: Flatten the dough to place on top of the apples. Sprinkle with a Tablespoon of sugar (or cinnamon sugar) if desired.
- Bake: Cook for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips and Variations
- Substitute apples. Swap the apples for other fruits such as mixed berries, strawberries, blackberry (like my blackberry cobbler) blueberries, plums, pears or peaches.
- Skin on. Leave the skin on if you prefer, but for the best apple cobbler I do peel mine.
- Thicker topping. If you like a thicker topping, use a bit of a smaller baking dish, that way you’ll overlap the crust topping a bit more.
- Serving. This easy apple cobbler is best served immediately, however, you still want to let it rest for a few minutes just to allow the juices to settle and the topping to get that extra bit of crispness. It’s worth the wait!
- Make extra! Make more of the apple filling than you need and use it to enjoy a bowl on its own, or keep it frozen for apple fritters or apple crepes later on.
- What to serve with. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or caramel sauce.
More delicious apple recipes include apple pie cupcakes, brown bag apple pie or apple turnovers.
More Apple Dessert Recipes
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Apple Cobbler
Ingredients
Apple filling:
- 5 medium apples , about 7 cups
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice , optional
- ¾ cup apple juice
- ¼ cup light brown sugar , packed
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt
Crumble topping:
- ½ cup salted butter , slightly melted
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar , more for top
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For serving (optional): vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or caramel sauce
Instructions
- Peel and slice: Peel 5 medium apples if desired and then cut into slices 1/4" thick. You can then cut the apples in half if you'd like smaller pieces.
- Make apple filling. Place the apples in a saucepan. Squeeze 1 Tablespoon of a lemon juice in if desired. Then add in 3/4 cup apple juice, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
- Make cobbler topping. Mix 1/2 cup salted butter, 2/3 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium-sized bowl. Once it's mixed, add in 1 cup flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Add in a pinch of salt and cinnamon if desired. Mix just until combined.
- Assemble. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9×13" or 9×9" (for a thicker crust) baking dish. Then pour the apples into the pan. Flatten the dough to place on top. Sprinkle with a Tablespoon of sugar (or cinnamon sugar) if desired.
- Bake. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve. Serve while warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Drizzle caramel on top if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Recipe FAQs
A cobbler is way easier to make! The crust is also on top of the apples like you would find in a pie.
You can! I do this often with dump cakes, which makes life a lot easier. You could even go so far as to use Bisquick if you have that on hand. Otherwise, a vanilla or yellow cake mix works great.
They are quite similar in that they are all baked fruit desserts.
Cobbler toppings have thicker, cake-like batter with a buttery sugary crispy crumble topping. It’s either made with biscuit dough, vanilla cake mix, or pie dough.
My easy apple crisp recipe is made with a streusel topping, made mostly of brown sugar, butter, flour, oats, and cinnamon. All it takes to make an apple crumble topping a crisp topping is to add oats.
Yes, cook down the apples to make the filling mixture and make the crust but keep them stored separately in airtight containers. When you’re ready to bake, assemble in the baking dish and continue as directed.
Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. If you’re just reheating a single serving, pop it in the microwave for a quick 20 to 30-second heat works. The longer it sits in the fridge, the softer the topping gets as it continues to absorb the juices from the filling. To crisp it back up a little, put it in the oven at 300°F and reheat for 5-10 minutes.
Categorized as: American, Crisps + Cobblers, Desserts, Fruit Desserts, Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
I LOVE a good cobbler, normally I make peach or berry cobbler but this apple cobbler is amazing! It is so easy to make and so delicious!
I served it with homemade cinnamon ice cream, and it was HEAVENLY!
I think we just found our new favorite for apple season!! This one is SO good! Thanks for the recipe!
If I use peaches
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Hi Ellen, we actually have a similar peach cobbler recipe too! Check this one out: https://www.iheartnaptime.net/peach-cobbler/
Delicious! A new fall favorite. Thanks for sharing!
Love the tip to make more filling than necessary because it’s so good on so many things, especially breakfast oatmeal!