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Easy Plum Cobbler – sliced fresh plums topped with a sweet crumbled dough, cobbled together for a quick and easy dessert featuring these delicious, juicy fruits.
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. Or Cobbler can also refer 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. 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 ‘floated’ in the bubbling fruit juices.
This method is similar to the Pandowdy, which is made small pieces of dough pressed down into the juices of the fruit. I’ve also made many 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 sweet or savory filling, I think you’ve got it made!
Plum Cobbler is incredibly delicious served warm from the oven.
No waiting on the pie to set up and cool. Scoop out a nice big serving of plum cobbler and top it with a scoop of 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 used to make prunes, but in the US, you may notice they are often referred to as dried plums. Loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, plums can also help with iron absorption into the body. Prunes have 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 are juicy, sweet and have a lovely deep flavor, and make a pretty great plum cobbler too!
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Sliced fresh plums topped with a sweet crumbled dough, cobbled together for a quick and easy dessert featuring these delicious, juicy fruits.
- 8 cups fresh plums, pitted and sliced (about 8-10 large plums)
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons apple brandy (optional)
- 1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated on a large box grater
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and cold
- 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar for topping
- vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
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.
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.
We used Calvados Apple Brandy for this recipe.
Here are a few of the tools used when making this plum cobbler (each photo is clickable):
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Looking for a few more delicious recipes featuring plums? Try this super simple Plum Crisp from The View from Great Island. Don’t forget about using plums in a savory dish like this 15-Minute Tangy-Sweet Plum Spiced Chicken from Noble Pig. I’m also loving this Plum Skillet Cake Recipe from She Wears Many Hats. And finally, how about making some homemade Plum Jam from Serious Eats?
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!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
Thanks for the recipe, it’s currently baking. I didn’t have heavy whipping cream so substituted with sweet condensed milk and skipped the sugar in the dough. Added some desiccated coconut to the dough as it seemed a bit wet. Hoping it turns out.
I am curious to hear how this turns out with your changes Christina. Sounds great, good luck.
Hello,
Thank you for the recipe!! I have a plum tree and a blackberry bush and both are giving lots of fruit rn.
What do you think about adding blackberries to the plums? Would you change the recipe in any way if blackberries are added?
Hi Maya! I love the combination of blackberries and plums and would not change a thing except add the blackberries to the fruit mixture. I used that delicious combo in a recipe for bar you can find HERE. So if you have extra – you may want to try the bars too 🙂 Good luck and thanks so much!
Can I also bake this in a ceramic pie tin?
Hi Audelynn (your name is so pretty!) Yes that will be fine as long as it is a deep dish pie plate. If it won’t all fit, pour any remaining fruit and topping into an extra smaller dish and bake it too. One to keep and one to give away! Enjoy – this is a delicious cobbler.
There is no mention of when to add the apple. I assume it is mixed in with the plums.
Thanks for catching that! I fixed it and updated the recipe. You assumed correctly 😉
Hi Tricia! I have to tell you how much I appreciate this recipe because it is made with plums! Plums are one of my absolute favorite fruits and I don’t see enough recipes that use them. Your plum cobbler looks so comforting and delicious. I wish I could have a slice of it right now! 🙂
Another super easy repose Alia – and everyone loves it. The topping is super delicious as well as the juicy plums. Enjoy!
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever baked with plums! Not sure why because your cobbler looks spectacular! Love the grated apple in the recipe too.
Thanks Susan – plums are so easy to bake with – hope you’ll give it a try!
Mmmm, love plums! And they’re terrific in baked things. I’ve made plum cobbler before — good isn’t it? Yours looks particularly tasty — really nice topping. Thanks!
Thank you John! This is a very nice topping – we love it!
It looks delicious, like the perfect dessert, Tricia! I really like plums but have never really baked using them. You have inspired me to change that! Your topping with whipping cream sounds awesome and tasty for the plums. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks Pam – I bet you would love it! So juicy and naturally sweet. Have a terrific week.
Love anything with Plum. That little tang from the Plums is lovely in the mouth – not too sweet. Starting to think now – Plum and Almond. Think I might have Plum Cobbler for after dinner – or maybe for dinner!!! Your cobble looks nice and crispy not heavy and dense. Yum, so nice.
Thank you Mary! Cobbler for dinner is okay with me 🙂 Enjoy!
This looks amazing, Tricia! We didn’t get to have pies/cobblers when we were in S.C. last week and I’m a little sad about it (so much to eat/so little time and space!)…maybe I need to make it myself at home. As much as I love chocolate desserts, I have really come to appreciate the deliciousness of a warm fruit dessert – particularly paired with ice cream! Love how this is a unique plum cobbler, too.
Thanks Monica – fruit desserts are the best, especially when the fruits are at their best. Hope you’ll give this a try because it’s tasty for sure! Thanks for stopping by.
So very lovely. I’ve never baked with plums (sad!!).
Thank you Brenda! Poor plums – not getting enough love – haha – hope you’ll give it a try!
My favorite kind of dessert! I would always pick a warm fruit dessert over any fancy chocolate or other sweet treat. This one definitely looks “restaurant quality”!
Me too Chris – warm fruit desserts are always the best! Thanks 🙂
This is gorgeous. I can practically taste the late summer bounty!
Thank you Jessie – we love a good cobbler and are very happy with this topping!
For some reason I never think of cooking with plums. I don’t know why, but you’ve reminded me I need to change my thinking. This looks fabulous 🙂
I have a thing for plum jam Jennifer – we should make some!
Wish my cobbler looked half as good as yours, Tricia. This looks fabulous!
Oh your cobblers look fantastic Angie – and I bet they taste as good as they look!
Plums are the best summer fruit, they cook up like nothing else! And I love your grated apple trick, I’m going to use it in all my pies going forward, it’s genius 🙂 Pinning and sharing, yum!!
They really are Sue! I love eating them – but only when I am at a table with lots of paper towels – guess I’m messy 🙂