The best cherry cobbler tastes of rich, sweet cherries, has a light, flakey biscuit topping and takes just a few minutes to pull together. In search of the juiciest, most concentrated filling, we tested cobblers with fresh cherries, cobblers with frozen cherries, cobblers with a lot of cornstarch and cobblers with less. The winner was clear: frozen cherries have the lush, quintessential cherry flavor and perfect velvety texture that make cherry cobbler so beloved. Bonus points for the fact that they don’t require pitting and can be purchased year-round. A quarter cup of cornstarch helps set the fruit without becoming pasty. A dash of almond extract and some vanilla bean paste brings out the fruit’s floral side. We covered the cherries with an easy sweet biscuit dough; a dusting of coarse sugar and flakey sea salt are the finishing touches that takes this cobbler to the next level. Note: This recipe also works with fresh cherries. If you are looking to use up your bounty, scroll to the bottom of the recipe to see how to adapt it for fresh fruit.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 pounds frozen cherries, thawed (see Cook’s Note)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook’s Note)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- For the cherry filling: Combine the cherries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla bean paste, almond extract and kosher salt in a large bowl until no clumps remain. Spread into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
- For the biscuit topping: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and kosher salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until pea-size pieces form. Add the buttermilk and egg and pulse until the dough comes together.
- Pinch off pieces of dough and scatter them on top of the cherry filling. Brush the dough with buttermilk, then sprinkle with the turbinado sugar and flaky sea salt.
- Bake until the topping is browned and the filling is bubbling around the edges, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 487 |
| Total Fat | 14 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 87 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 53 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 58 mg |
| Sodium | 669 mg |