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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!
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 🙂