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Easy Plum Cobbler Recipe
Easy Plum Cobbler made with fresh plums topped with a sweet crumbled dough.
This quick and easy Plum Cobbler is cobbled together in minutes making it a great summer dessert. As you may know, cobbler is a bit of a catch-all word that has many meanings. It may refer to a person that mends shoes (if you can find one anymore.) Or a tall, iced drink which normally includes wine, sugar, whiskey and rum.
Cobbler also refers to a mountain in Scotland near the head of Loch Long. But today we’re talking about the deep-dish fruit cobbler with the thick top crust like this easy Plum Cobbler.
However, cobblers can also be of the savory variety like our favorite Winter Vegetable Cobbler, or this incredible Tomato Cobbler, which is one of the best skillet meals I’ve ever made or eaten!
Mom often covered her cobblers with a layer of pie crust that ‘floats’ in bubbling fruit juices.
The method of using pie pastry in a cobbler is similar to the Pandowdy which is made small pieces of dough pressed down into the juices of the fruit. Our very popular Old-Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler is made with layers of pastry cooked between juicy berries.
I also make cobblers with a ‘drop-biscuit’ topping like this luscious Black Raspberry Cobbler. So as you can see, there may not be a wrong way to make a cobbler. As long as you have a floating crust over a juicy sweet or savory filling, I think you’ve got it made!
Served warm from the oven, Plum Cobbler is incredibly delicious.
When serving cobbler there’s no waiting on the dessert to set up and cool. Scoop out a nice big serving of hot plum cobbler and top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you’re not married, and want to be, this may be the ticket to get you down the aisle. Just saying, it may not hurt to try 😁
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a minute to talk about the amazing plum!
European plums are most often used to make prunes. However, in the United States you may notice that prunes are often referred to as dried plums.
Plums are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants that help iron absorb into the body. Prunes have also been known to help normalize blood sugar levels and are loaded with soluble fiber.
Enjoy plums like you would an apple, peach or pear. They’re juicy, sweet and have a lovely deep flavor and make a pretty great plum cobbler too!
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Easy Plum Cobbler
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 8 cups fresh plums pitted and sliced (about 8-10 large plums)
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons apple brandy (optional)
- ½ Granny Smith apple peeled and grated on a large box grater
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed and cold
- ⅔ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar for topping
- vanilla ice cream to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the plums, brown sugar, brandy, grated apple, cornstarch and cinnamon. Spoon the mixture into a 9" or 10" cast iron skillet or a lightly greased casserole dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar. Add the butter and using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the cream and stir with a fork just until moistened. Gently press the mixture together using a spatula, forming a loose dough. Crumble the dough on top of the plum mixture. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of coarse sugar.
- Bake until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Serve warm topped with ice cream if desired.
Recipe Notes
- We used Calvados Apple Brandy for this recipe.
Nutrition
Looking for a few more delicious recipes featuring plums?
Don’t forget about using plums in a savory dish like this 15-Minute Tangy-Sweet Plum Spiced Chicken.
I’m also loving this Plum Skillet Cake Recipe perfect any time of the day.
And how about making some homemade Plum Jam? It’s so much easier than you’d think!
Our Plum Pie and Plum Cake are also great recipes you’ll want to try. If you’re loaded with plums this season we have plenty of great recipes for you to try.
Finally, plums seem to be a forgotten fruit, bringing up the end of the line after the peaches, nectarines and apricots. Let’s help the plum rank higher on the list – eat more plums!
Alison
Excellent quick and easy way to use all my fresh, canned and frozen plums from our home orchard. The whole family loved this- even the ones who questioned me last summer as I was canning fresh plums.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Alison! Having a home orchard must be a fantastic treat. My grandmother had apple trees and how I loved picking bushels with her to make and can applesauce and pies, and everything in between. We truly appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Carmen Koo
Refreshing!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Carmen!
Erica
Delicious cobbler!! Could I use cherries instead of the plums you think?
Tricia Buice
Hi Erica. Yes but a cherry version may require more thickening. Plums break down and make more liquid so I’m not really sure how this would turn out. I know it would be delicious just not sure about the liquid component.
Irma Stanton
Loved the Easy Plum Cobbler Thanks so much Husband loved it
Tricia Buice
Thanks Irma! So glad you both enjoyed it.
Nikki
Do I need to double the recipe to bake this in a 9″x11″ dish? I would to bake this for work. Thank you in advance
Tricia Buice
Hi Nikki. I would do at least one and one-half times (total) the recipe. It’s not very deep as is so a little more won’t hurt. Enjoy!
Randy
8 Cups of plums? Is this correct?
Tricia Buice
Hi Randy. Yes that is correct. Enjoy!
Yolande Schnieder
Delicious and so easy to make. I’ll be making this again
Tricia Buice
Thanks Yolande. We truly appreciate the feedback!
Julia
Such a delicious recipe! Came out perfect! Do you think this would work with frozen plums?
Tricia Buice
Hi Julia. Yes I think frozen plums will work well. I would only thaw slightly before baking. Enjoy!
Debbie Fuller-Roman
Awesome recipe. Omitted the apple brandy and it turned out awesome. Thank you.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Debbie. I love plum season and always make this easy recipe. Enjoy!
Jack White
Since stone fruit is looking so good in the produce markets right now, I made this cobbler five days ago. And based on the happy result, I just made it again this morning as a dessert for a family Labor Day gathering later on. (With the Calvados, of course … we’d brought some home with us from an trip to Normandy last year.) The first time, I just used a red plum/black plum combination, and for the next time, I mixed in a couple of sliced nectarines with the plums, just for fun. My only other comment is if I’d baked it for the full 45 minutes at 375°, it would have been burnt to an unrecognizable crisp. (My oven temperature tests to be accurate.) Both times, the cobbler was done and out of the oven in 28 minutes. Aside from that and adding the nectarines to the plums, I followed the rest of your recipe to the letter, I promise.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Jack! So glad you enjoyed it. Calvados from Normandy sounds wonderful. I also love that you added nectarines. Enjoy.
Kayla
I made this with a few changes because of what I had on hand. I didn’t have apple brandy or an apple. I used bourbon in place of the brandy. No apple so I put a spoonful of apple/plum preserves. No ice cream so I topped it with a little homemade vanilla bean whipped cream. Oh.my.gosh. It was fan
Tricia Buice
Thanks Kayla! So glad you enjoyed it. Your adaptations sound perfect!
Anna
I made some alterations to the recipe because I was missing some ingredients and to make it gluten free. I substituted oat and almond flour in place of wheat and skipped bothe the brandy and apple. It still turned out delicious. Highly recommend!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Anna. So happy it turned out well!
Christina L Whitten
Loved your plum cobbler, wonderful. Very tasty and not hard. Everyone who ate it, loves as well.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Christina! I’m so pleased it worked well for you. Thanks for commenting!
Naednek
Made this tonight as my plum tree as produced over 300 plums. I needed to find things to make that included plums.
I’m not much a baker more BBQ/smoker, this was easy to make (although I have no idea what a pastry blender is)and it came out perfectly. I’ll be making this again next week when I pick some more!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Naednek! How lucky you are to have a prolific plum tree. There’s so many wonderful things to make with plums. Thanks for trying our recipe and for taking the time to comment.
mithrandir
Good recipe! I followed directions *almost verbatim. I don’t own a pastry mixer or cutter; I used a large fork to press the butter into the dry ingredients (about 3 minutes) before pouring in the heavy cream. I used hοmegrοwn plums, a 10-inch cast iron, & gas oven.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback. We appreciate you making the recipe and taking the time to comment.
Sarah
On humid days I only need about 1/2c of cream, and I cut the butter down to 6tbsp. I used Averna in place of brandy.
AARTI PAI
Hi Karen, this recipe looks delish! My daughther is GF. Have you tried replacing the all purpose flour with GF flour and gotten the same result? Any tips, please share!
Tricia Buice
Hi Aarti. I haven’t tested this recipe using GF flour but I’m sure if you use a 1 to 1 exchange it should work well. Let us know how it turns out for you. Thanks!
Kevin, Covington KY
I can’t get this recipe to work, the topping sinks into the cobbler after I put it in the oven. I’ve tried twice now with the same result both times. I’m following the recipe for the filling exactly and I’ve tried the topping in the recipe and a crumble topping with the same result. Not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Tricia Buice
Hi Kevin. I’m not sure what is going wrong either and I’m sorry you’re having trouble. Maybe you can make sure the filling is cool or cold before topping. Also use a shallow pan like a skillet or a nine-inch cake pan. Are the plums super ripe and juicy? If so maybe add a little more cornstarch? Are you adding more plums than the recipe calls for? I wish I could help more!
Kevin, Covington KY
I’m using 8 cups of plums but I’m using cherry plums so they’re very small and very juicy. I doubled the amount of cornstarch on my 2nd attempt but the filling still comes out soupy. Thanks for your help.
Adam Wright
I made this and I added some wild wine berries and black raspberries and subbed canned coconut milk for the heavy cream and added some muesli to bake on the top. I danced around the kitchen and laughed and cried and it was an amazing magical moment eating your recipe!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Adam! It sounds like you made a great variation that I’m going to have to try. The coconut milk is brilliant 🙂
Suzanne
Do I peel the plums?
Tricia Buice
Hi Suzanne. No you don’t need to peel the plums. Enjoy!