This homemade Apple Cobbler with Cinnamon Biscuits is made with fresh apples, cinnamon sugar, and homemade flaky biscuits. It’s a warm, comforting dessert for the fall season.
Easy Apple Cobbler Recipe
When I was younger, adults always seemed to be bringing up how time flew by in the blink of an eye. At six or seven, or even thirteen, time always seemed to be at a standstill. The events and holidays I looked forward to seemed to take for-ev-er (Sandlot style) to arrive. I couldn’t fathom time ever moving quickly.
Now, more than twenty years later, I completely understand. We’re a few weeks away from the official start of fall, and it still feels like summer only just started. The holidays and a new year will be here before I can even blink, and I just wish time would slow in the way I once felt years ago.
But here we are, already in September, and whether I believe it or not, pumpkins and apple spice and everything nice will be taking over (I mean, it kind of takes over in August but I refuse to believe it 😆).
I love all baked apple desserts but there’s not a more quintessential fall dessert to me than a warm apple cobbler topped with buttery biscuits and a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Cinnamon sugar apples baked up like apple pie filling with a sweet biscuit baked right on top.
Why You’ll Think This Is The Perfect Apple Cobbler:
- This is such a simple apple cobbler recipe. It’s a handful of ingredients that get put into a baking dish and that’s about it.
- You can use whatever you think are the best apples for an apple dessert.
- We use cold butter to make sure the biscuits are extra flaky and fluffy (aka, irresistible).
- What else could make this the best apple cobbler recipe? A scoop of ice cream on top, a drizzle of caramel sauce, or homemade whipped cream.
Try these other cobbler recipes: Strawberry Cobbler with Lemon Biscuits, Peach Cobbler, and Cinnamon Roll Peach Cobbler.
Apple Cobbler Ingredients:
- Apples: I prefer a sweet apple for apple cobbler, like honeycrisp apples, gala apples, pink lady apples, or fuji apples, but you can use any kind you like best, including tart apples like granny smith apples.
- All Purpose Flour: You’ll use all purpose flour in both the cobbler filling and the cinnamon biscuits.
- Granulated Sugar: Sugar is used in the filling of the apple cobbler and in the biscuit topping.
- Brown Sugar: A little bit of brown sugar is used in the cobbler filling.
- Unsalted Butter
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Lemon Zest
- Cinnamon
- Cloves & Nutmeg: You can simply stick with cinnamon if you prefer. Adding in the nutmeg and cloves makes the cobbler a little richer and more warmly spiced, but if you’re not a fan of these spices, feel free to just use cinnamon.
- Raw Sugar and Cinnamon Sugar: Right before baking you can use raw sugar (also known as coarse sugar) to sprinkle on top of the biscuits before it bakes. It adds a little extra glimmer and shine (and sweetness, of course). Or, you can do what I did with these fluffy biscuits, which is sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
How To Make This Cinnamon Biscuit Apple Cobbler:
- Apple Filling: Mix the sliced apples with brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon zest, and spices. Let the filling sit while you make the biscuits.
- Dry Ingredients: Whisk all purpose flour, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Using a standing mixer on low (or a fork or pastry blender), add the cubed butter a little at a time, working the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Wet Ingredients: Drizzle the heavy cream into the biscuit mixture, and mix until the dough just comes together.
- Turn Out: On a floured surface, turn out the dough and pat it into a rectangle, about 1/2” thick. Then, fold the dough into thirds. Turn the dough 90 degrees, and flatten the dough into a long rectangle again. Fold the dough into thirds once more, and turn 90 degrees. Lastly, flatten the dough into a circle, about 1/2” thick.
- Cut: Using a small biscuit cutter, cut out 15-18 small biscuits. If needed, roll the scraps back together, flatten the dough, and cut out more biscuits.
- Assembly: Pour the apple filling into a 9×13 baking dish. Dot the filling with cold butter. Then, place the biscuits on top of the apples, leaving just a little bit of space between each biscuit. Brush the tops of each biscuit with a bit of cream, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or raw sugar.
- Bake: Bake the cobbler for 45-50 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbling up.
How To Store Apple Cobbler:
Store any leftover apple cobbler in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat the leftovers, you can serve them cold or warm the cobbler in the oven or microwave before serving.
What Baking Dish Can I Make This In?
You have your choice of baking dishes:
- 9×13 baking dish
- 8×11 baking dish: This makes for a thicker cobbler as it’s just a tiny bit smaller than a traditional 9×18 baking dish.
- Deep Dish Pie Plate: Use a pie plate that is at least 10” in diameter, and that is nice and deep. Otherwise, the filling won’t fit.
- Cast Iron Skillet: You can also use a cast iron skillet if you prefer.
Cream Biscuits:
This biscuit recipe is for cream biscuits, which are biscuits made with heavy whipping cream. If you do not have heavy whipping cream, you can substitute buttermilk, whole milk, or half & half for the cream. Homemade cream biscuits are very flaky and fluffy, which is one of the reasons I love using them as a biscuit crust for cobbler.
How To Make Extra Flaky Biscuits:
- In the steps above, I talk about flattening the biscuit dough and folding it into thirds, and repeating that step again.
- That trick helps create flaky layers in each biscuit because we’re laminating the butter into the dough.
- And, keep the biscuit dough as cold as possible. If you find the dough is warm, place it in the fridge for a bit. Or, place the cut biscuits into the fridge for a few minutes before placing them on top of the apples. Cold biscuit dough makes for very flaky biscuits.
Quick and Easy Cinnamon Biscuit Apple Cobbler Tips and Tricks:
- Spices: I use a combination of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. However, you can use whatever warm fall spices you like, like ginger, cardamom, and allspice. Or, you can use apple pie spice. And, if you want to keep it simple, simply use cinnamon.
- Sugar: I use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar, but you can use all brown sugar or all granulated sugar, if you prefer. If you use all brown sugar, it will have a richer molasses flavor. If you use all granulated sugar, it will have a lighter flavor.
- Cold Biscuits: Remember, keep your biscuit dough as cold as possible before baking to make a very fluffy biscuit topping.
- Biscuit Cutter: If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, you can cut the biscuits into small squares using a knife or a pizza cutter.
Ready for more fall recipes? Try these favorites next:
- Apple Hand Pies
- Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Pie Banana Pudding
- Maple Apple Blondies
- Maple Snickerdoodles
- 6-8 medium or large apples, peeled or unpeeled (up to you)*
- 1/4. cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, plus more for brushing
- 2 Tbsp cinnamon sugar**
- Ice Cream
- Whipped Cream
- Caramel Sauce
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking dish (you can use an 8x11 dish, a cast iron skillet, or a deep dish pie plate as well). Set aside.
- Mix sliced apples with brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, vanilla extract, lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Once mixed together, pour 1/2 of the apple mixture into the baking dish. Dot the filling with the 2 Tbsp of cubed butter. Then pour the remaining filling on top. Spread in an even layer. Set aside.
- In a large bowl (or the bowl of a standing mixer) whisk granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, flour, and cinnamon together. With a fork, pastry cutter, or your standing mixer (on low), work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Next, add in the heavy cream, mixing as you go. Mix until the dough has just come together.
- On a floured surface, turn out the dough and pat it into a rectangle, about 1/2” thick. Then, fold the dough into thirds. Turn the dough 90 degrees, and flatten the dough into a long rectangle again. Fold the dough into thirds once more, and turn 90 degrees. Lastly, flatten the dough into a circle, about 1/2” thick. This makes for extra, extra flaky biscuits. (If you would prefer, you can skip this step, instead simply patting the dough into a circle, about 1/2” thick).
- Using a small biscuit cutter, cut out 15-18 small biscuits. If needed, roll the scraps back together, flatten the dough, and cut out more biscuits.
- Place the biscuits on top of the apples, leaving just a little bit of space between each biscuit. Brush the tops of each biscuit with a bit of cream, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Bake the cobbler at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbling up. If needed, tent a piece of foil on top of the cobbler if the biscuits are browning too quickly.
- Allow to cool 20-30 minutes before serving, if desired (it’ll be warm, but not piping hot). Top with ice cream, caramel sauce, or whipped cream.
*You can use any kind of apple you prefer. I used honeycrisp.
**You can buy cinnamon sugar, or you can make cinnamon sugar yourself by mixing 2 Tbsp granulated sugar with 1-1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (depending upon how much cinnamon you like).
Updated 2024.
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