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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!
Thanks for PINNING!
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!
Karen Peters, Driftwood TX
The topping is really delicious and i will try this recipe again. Unfortunately, i guess the plums were not as ripe as i thought they were (even tho i taste tested as i cut them up) and so the fruit part of the recipe is pretty darn sour. Ice cream couldn’t even redeem it. THEN, i found the Tomato Cobbler recipe which i now can’t wait to try!!!!! Thank you!
BTW, i used half and half instead of heavy cream – the “dough” was more like a batter so i baked it an extra 10 minutes and it came out just fine.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Karen! I’m glad the half and half worked too. Plums are funny fruits for sure. Either they’re way too hard or super soft. Super soft is best with this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Kalena
Finally the cobbler I remember from childhood! Not cakey but like a slightly sweet biscuit topping floating on top of a molten tangy plum filling! My aunt’s friend has a plum tree that was laden with fruit so we were gifted a ton of plums. This is a food memory I will keep forever. ❤️ Thank you for sharing!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Kalena! I’m thrilled you enjoyed this cobbler. Food memories are so special and I appreciate you sharing yours with me. Enjoy!
Andrea
Do you peel the plum or leave skin on plums?
Tricia Buice
Hi Andrea. I always leave the skins on. Enjoy!
Sienna
is it 402 calories for the whole thing?
Tricia Buice
Hi Sienna. This cobbler serves 8 people and the nutritional information posted is for one serving. Hope you enjoy!
Asma Patel
I don’t have a single apple in my house would it still work without it?
Tricia Buice
Yes! No worries Asma. Enjoy
Rachel Ashcraft
This was absolutley perfect. The cinnamon and apple added an incredible depth to the plum flavor and the topping was super moist. Making again today for the second time.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Rachel! I’m so glad you enjoyed this cobbler. Thanks for commenting!
Haley
Update:
I have a dairy allergy so I relied on my husband for feedback and I submitted my initial review after he had tried some of the cobbler (to recap, he loved the topping, the filling was too sour he couldn’t hang). But since then many more family members have tried it and they have raved about! So in conclusion, the recipe is amazing , my husband is just weak (and very sour sensitive)
I would still love a recipe update with storage information (fridge or RT?) and If this is freezer friendly.
But otherwise, definitely make this !
Mallory
I don’t have a Granny Smith Apple but I do have honeycrisp and Fuji. Would either of those work?
Tricia Buice
Sure Mallory. No worries just use what you have on hand.
Lacey
This is one of the best fruit cobblers that I have ever eaten! I used sprouted whole wheat flour and needed more heavy cream, maybe 1/3 cup more, because my dough looked pretty dry. Glad that you have the helpful video so I could see what your dough looked like! I had just 2 apples in my fridge, so I went wild and grated them both! Absolutely perfect!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Lacey! I love that you used sprouted whole wheat flour. It sounds terrific for sure. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m sure you insights will help our other bakers too.
Masha
Absolutely love the topping! I use it for all of my cobblers now)
Tricia Buice
Thanks Marsha! Glad you enjoyed it.
Miranda
Simple to make and full of deliciousness. I actually had apple brandy and it was a nice touch. To ensure this would be fresh from the oven in time for dessert, I mixed the filling about two hours prior to baking, covered it, and stuck it in the fridge. It worked great! Next time, I’ll use a box grater and not food processor to grate the apple.
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Miranda. So glad it worked by assembling, refrigerating and then baking. We appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Serena
Thanks! I’m planning to make this for a dinner party and needed to know if it could be made in advance. Your comment helped me!
Tony
Delicious! I was skeptical about the crust at first since it seemed doughy (and my cobblers are usually more crumbly) but it was the best part! I went ahead and used the whole granny smith apple just because I’m partial to fruit, but that was the only deviation. Great recipe, would do again.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Tony! So happy you enjoyed this cobbler. Love that shortcrust topping too!
Sureya
Wonderful recipe, easy to follow, delicious result! Thank you! I don’t prefer to eat ice-cream with pie/cobbler, too sweet for me. So I was planning to have this cobbler just with tea/coffee, but found kvarg/smooth cottage cheese in refrigerator, was even greater combination. Saving this recipe and recommending to others.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Sureya! I love the idea of adding cottage cheese as a topping. Sounds perfect. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Erin
Hello! 🙂
I’m very interested in making your recipe, although we’re lactose intolerant so I’m wondering could you recommend a substitute for the heavy cream? Thank you! 🙂
Tricia Buice
Hi Erin. I think you could try any non-dairy product like almond milk. I’d use a little less than the 2/3 cup called for then add more if needed to make the dough. Let us know how this turns out for you! Thanks for the great question.
Gina
This was absolutely AMAZING!!! I doubled the recipe, and because my Granny Smith apple was extra large, I did 1/2 cup brown sugar per recipe, and no brandy. It was Perfect!!!! Will absolutely make this again, THANK YOU!!
Question, can this be frozen for later? I have a small extra one that I would like to freeze for another day.
Tricia Buice
Hi Gina. Yes you can freeze this cobbler but the topping may be softer than when it’s fresh baked. Enjoy!
Rose Hahn
Perhaps, freeze cobbler before baking. Thaw and bake when ready, or freeze filling and make topping just before baking it.
Linda Crosfield
Just added this to my recipe file. Made it last night, now I have something to do with a bottle of apple spirits that nobody likes. I didn’t have quite enough plums so I peeled and chopped a couple of apples in addition to the grated requirement. Rave reviews around the table. This one’s a keeper. Thanks!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Linda! So happy this worked well for you. Enjoy 🙂
Angela
Can this be made ahead and/or frozen?
Tricia Buice
I haven’t tested freezing this Angela. I think leftovers would be fine to freeze but you’ll lose some of the crispy top. Let us know if you freeze it and how it turns out. Thanks!
Jo Austin
I used half quantity of white rum, it was delicious. Next time I’ll add the full 2 tablespoons!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Jo! So glad you gave this a try. We love plum season!
Karla
I happen to have white rum!! Yay!!! I will substitute it and see how it goes. I used my entire Apple anyway as it was smaller and I put in about a cup more of the plums because I got carried away and sliced up too many. 🩷 Now on to the crusty topping portion.
Tricia Buice
Can’t wait to hear how it turned out for you Karla. Thank you!
Haley
I tried it! The topping received rave reviews! The filling received “good flavor but sour!” That’s on me though. I waited until the plums were super ripe but then ran out before I got to 8 cups and had to supplement with less ripe ones. I used a less sour apple in place of the Granny Smith and added a bit more sugar , but clearly not enough.
I would love to know
1. How / if this freezes well
2. How should leftovers be stored? For the filling I wanna say fridge but then I’m sure the crust will lose its crunch ?
Thanks!
Tricia Buice
Hi Haley. Yes you can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months well sealed in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the fridge then leave out at room temperature or warm on 50% power in the microwave. I store leftovers in the refrigerator. It will lose the crispy top but it’s still great to eat. Enjoy!
Merbeau
First time using plums and the dis was delicious. Cut the plums on a nias and thin to take the sugar better. I used 1/2 cup brown sugar. Added 1/2 tsp of vanilla.will make this again. The vanilla ice cream adds to the delicacy of the dish.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Merbeau. We appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Jalyn
Sugar to plum ratio not adequate; put all work in and yet the tarts were very sour 🙁 Needs more sugar, maybe a touch of vanilla extract, and zero brandy
Tricia Buice
Thanks for the feedback Jalyn. When using fresh fruits in recipes you must use your best judgment because some will be sweeter. I’m guessing your plums were not very ripe, thus not as sweet as they should have been.
Ann
Just a question the recipe calls for 8 cups fresh plums and then in brackets (8-10) large. When I did it I only got 4 cups. Which is it? I would like to make this recipe but just not sure of the amount.
Thanks
Tricia Buice
Hi Ann. I’ve tested this recipe numerous times and found it all depends on the size of the plums. You need 8 cups of sliced plums. If you buy very large plums then 8 to 10 will do. If they are medium and smaller you’ll need 16 to 18 plums.
Anna
I had plums that I bought from Sams and they were just a little over 2 weeks old. Fresh California Plums 3.5lbs. I looked up the recipe to try and use them before they went bad. I followed the recipe exactly as stated. It turned out magnificent. My family loved it. Thanks for sharing.
Tricia Buice
Thank you Anna! We appreciate you taking the time to comment.😁