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Apple Cobbler Recipe

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Apple Cobbler recipe is made with warm cinnamon apples and a golden cobbler crust. Top it with whipped topping or yogurt, the perfect fall dessert!

Apple Cobbler Recipe

Easy Apple Cobbler Recipe

Apple Cobbler is one of my favorite fall desserts! I love it more than apple pie, cake or tarts, and the great news is it’s so much easier to make too. I love to eat it warm right out of the oven. Another one of my favorite cobbler recipes is this Skillet Mixed Berry Buttermilk Cobbler and for another fall apple dessert, try my Cranberry Apple Crumble.

Apple Cobbler

This healthy apple cobbler recipe is delicious, and you’ll never know it doesn’t have all the butter and sugar that most cobblers call for. You could make this recipe in a pie dish if you want to serve it for Thanksgiving, but I love the portion control you get from making them in ramekins.

What is the difference between a cobbler and crisp?

Apple cobbler and apple crisp are very similar except for the topping. Cobbler has more of a biscuit topping that you drop by spoonfuls over the apples, and crisp has an oat-sugar topping.

What is apple cobbler made of?

There are two main parts of an apple cobbler: the apples and the topping. First, let’s talk about the filling ingredients:

  • Apples: Well, of course, you need apples to make apple cobbler. I use peeled and sliced Gala apples for this cobbler, but you could also use Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples. You do you!
  • Sweetener: I use honey to sweeten the filling, but you could use maple syrup or agave if you prefer.
  • Spices: This cobbler smells like fall, thanks to the cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Citrus: The fresh lemon juice brightens the flavor.
  • Cornstarch: Cornstarch thickens the filling.
  • Water and salt

Here is what you’ll need for the cobbler topping:

  • White whole wheat and all purpose flours
  • Granulated sugar mixes into the topping and brown sugar goes on top
  • Baking powder, baking soda, salt
  • Butter, buttermilk, canola oil

How To Make Apple Cobbler

  1. Peel the apples and slice. In a large heavy pot, combine the apple slices with cinnamon-sugar mixture and remaining filling ingredients and simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes, gently stirring occasionally until the apples are soft.*
  2. Divide warm apples into 8 (4 inch) ramekins.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk flours, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  5. Cut in chilled butter (must be cold) using a pastry cutter (or 2 knives) until pebble-sized pieces are formed.
  6. In a small bowl combine buttermilk and oil; mix well.
  7. Add to the flour mixture and mix until just moistened, careful not to over-mix.
  8. Spoon the batter over the apples in the ramekins.
  9. Place on a sheet pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake 24 to 28 minutes, until apples are bubbling and golden brown. Let it stand 8 to 10 minutes before eating.

Is Gala a good baking apple?

Yes, Gala apples are good baking apples. They are naturally sweet, so you don’t have to add as much sugar to whatever you are making.

Variations & Tips:

  • Swap out the honey for stevia, monk fruit, agave, or another sweetener.
  • Feel free to use Honeycrisp or another sweet apple if you don’t have Gala.
  • Two and a half pounds of apples is about six to seven apples depending on their size.
  • Swap the apples. You could make this cobbler recipe with peaches or pears.
  • To make gluten-free apple cobbler, sub the flours with gluten-free flour.
  • If you don’t have individual ramekins, bake the cobbler in a pie dish or 8” x 8” baking dish for about the same amount of time.
  • If you want to prep ahead, bake it the day before and reheat in the oven or microwave when you’re ready to serve.
  • Take it to the next level, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt or whipped cream.
  • You can leave it out overnight, after that it should be kept in the fridge. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
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apple cobbler

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Apple Cobbler Recipe

5 from 16 votes
7
Cals:215
Protein:1.5
Carbs:44.5
Fat:4
Cozy and delicious Apple Cobbler recipe made from scratch with warm cinnamon apples and a golden cobbler crust.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Apple Cobbler
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Serving Size: 1 cobbler

Ingredients

For the Filling:

  • 2 1/2 lbs Gala apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4″ thick*
  • 6 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup water

For the Topping:

  • 1/4 cup King Arthur white whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup King Arthur all purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tbsp chilled whipped butter
  • 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tsp light brown sugar, unpacked

Instructions

  • In a large heavy pot, combine all of the apple filling ingredients and simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes, gently stirring occasionally until the apples are soft.*
  • Divide warm apples into 8 (4 inch) ramekins.
  • Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk flours, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • Cut in chilled butter (must be cold) using a pastry cutter (or 2 knives) until pebble-sized pieces are formed.
  • In a small bowl combine buttermilk and oil; mix well.
  • Add to the dry mixture and mix until just moistened, careful not to over-mix.
  • Spoon the batter over the apples in the ramekins.
  • Place on a sheet pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake 24 to 28 minutes, until apples are bubbling and the topping is golden. Let it stand 8 to 10 minutes before eating.

Last Step:

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Notes

*To cut back on sugar I used sweeter apples such as Gala. If you use tarter apples, such as Granny Smith you will have to add more honey. Taste the apples at this point and if you feel they need more honey, adjust at this point.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cobbler, Calories: 215 kcal, Carbohydrates: 44.5 g, Protein: 1.5 g, Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 1.5 g, Cholesterol: 5.5 mg, Sodium: 71 mg, Fiber: 4 g, Sugar: 32 g

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119 comments on “Apple Cobbler Recipe”

  1. Avatar photo
    apryl Guillory

    This is a great desert and didn’t gain a weight, but felt like I wasn’t left out from all the other fattening deserts.

  2. A favorite recipe, only change is I use some brown sugar swerve if needed in apples. I also have made the skinny taste recipe from the book for “crustless apple pie filling” and used that.

    1. The powdered buttermilk I have requires refrigeration! I only found this out when my original purchase was like concrete when I took it out of my pantry!! The powdered buttermilk is very convenient.

      1. Thanks for this information. I was so happy to find powdered buttermilk but concrete takes a while to break down. :-{

  3. Used pink lady and granny Smith. Added a little more honey. This cobbler turned out delicious
    I’ll surely make it again.

  4. I love your recipes! Thank you! I see a lot of buttermilk used in quite a few of the ones I love. Would you suggest a substitution for buttermilk please? I typically only use it for one recipe, and then it goes to waste. 

    1. You can make your own buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of lemon or vinegar to a measuring cup, and then fill up to 1 cup with milk. Let stand for 5 mins and voila… buttermilk!

    1. if making this with peaches, can you use canned and if so how many ounces of peaches and would there be any other steps needed?

  5. Great dessert! Made this for Thanksgiving last night. Only changes I made were adding 1 additional tbsp of honey (as per my husband’s request when he tasted apples at the end of their cooking time) and baked in an 8”x8” baking dish (I don’t have enough ramekins). I feel it was the perfect amount of sweet. Really enjoyed it being lighter and less sugary-sweet than others. Definitely a keeper in my house!

  6. Avatar photo
    Kathryn Berman

    Not nearly sweet enough, not enough topping, needs more butter.
    Without butter, this recipe lacks a smoothness and richness that a syrupy sweetener just can’t deliver alone.
    It’s also no where near sweet enough, it’s barely sweet at all. And while that leaves room for the apple flavor to come through, that apple flavor needs to be lifted.
    I used a combination of Honey crisp, Gala and Granny Smith. And I added the apples at intervals to the pot to cook so the apples had different firmness from super soft to mildly firm.

  7. I looked through all the questions and didn’t see the answer – what are the size of the ramekins you use?

  8. I cannot use sugar or honey and always substitute a sugar alternative (i.e., monkfruit, stevia, etc.). What do you think would be a good natural alternative to the honey in this recipe?

  9. Amazing dessert, one of our absolute favorites!! I made it gluten free, and in an 8×8 glass baking dish. My husband is already asking for me to make it again and I just made it earlier this week. Thanks for such all-around wonderful recipes. We only eat skinnytaste, cause there’s no need to look anywhere else!

  10. Tried this recipe Friday for special dinner for our friends. It is delicious. I will definitely make this again and again. Our guest loved it too. Appreciate the low sugar factor. Thanks Gina

  11. I have been making this every Thanksgiving for the last 3 years, and I can’t wait to make it again! It is always a hit!

  12. This is amazing. I made it over the weekend exactly as written. We didn’t need any additional topping (whipped cream, ice cream, etc.). I served it warm right out of the oven and I used all different types of apples I had just picked. Definitely one of my favorite recipes this fall!

  13. Gina, I have been making your recipes for years and can't wait for your cookbook! Thanks for all you do! Since it is now summertime- I have been craving peach cobbler like crazy. Could I use this same recipe and prepare exactly the same way but with all peaches? And should I prepare the same amount/weight of peaches as apples? Will points be roughly the same?

  14. This was absolutely AMAZING! I put a little bit of frozen lite whipped topping instead of ice cream. Was absolutely delicious and didn't taste lite at all. A new favorite. Thanks so much!

  15. Hi, If I wanted to make this for 8 instead of 6, can you tell me how much to increase the recipe by? I am a beginner 🙂

  16. I made this last night and we LOVED it! I used granny smith apples and halved the recipe for just my husband and me. I highly recommend freshly grated nutmeg if you have it on hand. I had to add extra water when cooking the apples and I put cinnamon and nutmeg in the topping. Thank you for this perfect fall recipe!

  17. Gina I love this recipe and its about time to make it again (my husband is begging for it) but I was wondering if instead of buttermilk i could use 1% or even 0% milk. I hate buying buttermilk because I never use it all and I end up tossing it.

    1. Mrs. H,
      I put the unused portion of buttermilk in ice cube trays and freeze them.  I double bag the frozen ice cubes and use as needed.
      Liz

  18. I made this tonight with some apples my kids brought home from apple picking and it was delicious! I used about 6 apples (med-large sized) and I weighed it to make sure it was about 26oz peeled. I didn't have buttermilk so I made my own with white vinegar (1T) and milk and it worked out perfect. I was going to double the topping but glad I didn't as it was plenty and very tasty. My parents were here and they wanted some to take home. Really delicious!!

  19. P.S. I didn't use any of the salt b/c I couldn't figure out where to fit it in the topping and it wasn't missed at all!

  20. Avatar photo
    Kim @ design + life + kids

    this looks absolutely fantastic! I'm definitely making this with my girls tonight/tomorrow and will share our experience!

  21. The instructions say salt in the "topping" but it's not listed with ingredients. How much do I use? Help! My apples are already done! Thanks!

  22. If you wanted to use another fruit such as blackberries or peaches, how many cups of fruit should you use?

  23. I made this dessert for my girlfriends tonight and it was awesome!!!!!! Thank you so much Gina for sharing. Your site is truly amazing!

  24. I made this to take to my Parents for my Mom's birthday and they had no idea it was a skinny version. This was sooo good! Thank you!

  25. Do you think this would work with pears instead of apples? I have a whole bunch of pears I'm trying to figure out what to do with.

  26. do you think you could prepare everything the night before and then just do the final baking step the next day? or are you better off baking everything and just reheating?

  27. This recipe could so easily be made gluten free. Omit the cornstarch in the filling and use rice flour for the crust. I think I might try this, it looks so good. Thanks. Beth

  28. I agree with the reveiwer who said make it first then review it. It does look great, but being so close to the holiday, I want to know whether I should make or go onto something else. I really enjoy the site and like how current it is. Thanks everyone. Thank you Gina for pulling it together for us.

  29. Just completed my test drive for Thanksgiving dinner. Luckily I halved it (since I only have 3 ramekins at present) as 2 are already devoured. It's research,lol.

    Delicious & very pretty. EVen in white ramekins.

  30. Hi Gina!

    Thanks SOOO much for this recipe! I just made it tonight and it was AHHH-mazing! I've made a ton of your recipes and have NEVER had a bad one 🙂 Here's a pic of my apple cobblers from tonight!
    http://campl.us/gMDJ

    Thanks again!

  31. Made this up this weekend. We had guests so I used my 6 ramekins & also made another one in a pie pan. Both were delicious – although next time I need to remember to put a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch the drippings! This got rave reviews. Didn't taste "light" at all. 🙂 (Oh & I used sugar – and it was the perfect amount of sweetness).

  32. Hello Gina- I am having a SkinnyTaste dinner party this Saturday and I plan to make this for desert. I was wondering could I prep everything and put the desert together in the morning and keep it in the fridge until baking time later in the evening? Your advice is appreciated!
    Thanks!

  33. This was DELICIOUS! I just made it, with two Red Delicious apples that were rolling around in my fridge begging to be used for something. I only had four smaller ramekins on hand, so I just reduced everything a bit (with a little boil-over in the oven). I used whole milk (not very skinny, but what I had on hand) instead of buttermilk, and can confirm that it worked just fine. I also had only whole wheat flour on hand (and not the white, either) and it was fine, too. I will definitely be making this again … it was just what I needed for a cold evening. 🙂

  34. Made this tonight they were so so good. Reminded me of my favorite apple pie my grandma makes. Thanks Gina for such an awesome recipe!

  35. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Greta, I don't think using the same amount would hurt the recipe, and it would keep it the same points.

    Janine, join the club!

    You're welcome Ali!

  36. Avatar photo
    Ali Shinnick

    Made this tonight. Made it exactly as written except I used Granny Smith apples instead of Gala. It was sooooo good!! I would definitely make it again. Thanks, Gina!

  37. My mother and my step-mother don't agree on much, but they do agree I have too much kitchen "stuff". This recipe is inspiring me to go out and add to my collection by buying some ramekins. 🙂 Love your website. Thanks so much Gina!

  38. It seems strange to suggest subbing the same amount of sugar for agave. Agave is about 1.5 times sweeter, so you'd need more like 3/4 c sugar to achieve the level of sweetness you want in the recipe.

  39. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Aja, for a 9 x 13 I think you would have to increase the recipe. This would work in a 9 x 9.

    Tom thanks for sharing your gluten free version.

  40. I just made a gluten free version of this and thought it was pretty good. I subbed 1/4 cup brown rice flour and 1/4 cup white rice flour and added 1 tsp xanthan gum to help the texture. I also used coconut palm sugar in place of the sugar and a mix of Gala and Granny Smith apples. Very tasty, not quite as rich as Grandma's, but I think that is the point here.
    I made mine in an 8 X 8 square baking dish and baked for 30 minutes, which turned out fine.

  41. Avatar photo
    Brian Phillips

    My wife has a gluten allergy. Curious how this would taste if I subbed gluten free flour mix for flour in recipe? Would that work? Any suggestion. I just started to modify stuff as we just found out that is the allergy she has.

  42. Would you still use the same amount (of filling) for a 9 x 13 pan? And would the cooking time be the same too?

  43. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Nancy, you'll have to plug it into recipe builder to see the difference using splenda since I didn't save it.

  44. Thanks Gina. Have tried and loved so many of your recipes. Your blog is my absolute go-to since I joined ww. Any idea how I can figure out how many points to shave off of this recipe when using Splenda instead of agave? Thanks!

  45. @Hannah, you don't need to keep buttermilk on hand. Instead put a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a 1 cup measure and add enough milk to make 1 cup. Let sit for 10 minutes. And you'll have buttermilk! Or you can use powdered buttermilk.

  46. Made this tonight didn't have lemons so substituted for 1 tbs of white vineger. This dessert was awesome a must do again!

  47. This looks delicious and easy to make. Plus my husband loves all apple desserts. Is there a substitution for the buttermilk? That's the one ingredient I never have on hand…

  48. I made this and thought is was incredible. I've made other low fat recipes and they were just ok. This doesn't taste light at all. I am making this again for Thanksgiving, thanks for sharing.

  49. OK, It really would be nice if the people that review these recipes actually make them and review them on whether or not they like or dislike the recipe. Most comments state that it looks good and can't wait to try it.
    Please make it then review it. That would be helpful! Thank you

  50. Avatar photo
    Cannella Impazzita

    this looks absolutely gorgeous! by the way, I made your pork chops seasoned with paprika some days ago…my family loved it!

  51. Thank you once again, Gina! My mom is recently on WW, and hot apple desserts are her absolute favorite. This is going to be perfect for Thanksgiving! You're the best!

  52. This looks very good.I just bought a 10lb bag of apples thinking of diffrent recipes.Thanks for the recipe.

  53. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    Rachelle thanks for sharing the tip! I used to do that before I bought a pastry cutter!

    The purple ramekins are from home goods!

    Baking time would be the same in a pie dish.

    And yes, you can replace the sugar with Splenda or Truvia if you like it, it would bring down the points.

  54. Instead of sugar/agave, do you think Splenda would work?

    And thank you for all the super yummy recipes you have created and shared. You have single handedly solved the dilemma between my weight watcher needs and my family's picky, non-weight watcher taste buds!!!

  55. Avatar photo
    Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit

    mmm yum! Reminds me of the peach cobbler I made last winter with a pancake top. Need to get back to making cobblers!

  56. These look delicious and I think I found my Thanksgiving dessert. 🙂
    How would the cooking differ if I made it in a single large dish?

  57. Yumm, this sounds delish! Great fall recipe! I just LOVE your purple ramekins too!! Thanks for always giving us out here fabulous dishes to try at home!!

  58. Gina, thanks for all the great recipes! Here's a tip for cutting butter into flour. Stick the butter in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Then use a cheese grater to grate the butter into the flour mixture. It creates the perfect sized pieces of butter to mix in with the flour and the butter stays cold b/c it is almost frozen.

  59. Avatar photo
    Gina @ Skinnytaste

    This is about 6-7 apples depending on the size of them. A pie dish would be perfect instead of the ramekins.

    I'm on my phone but I have an apple crisp on my blog. Do a search on the top right!

    To cut butter take really cold butter and cut it withe 2 knives or a pastry cutter.

  60. Avatar photo
    Lauren @ Healthy Food For Living

    I'm typically more of an apple crisp or pie girl, but these individual cobblers look so fantastic! Definitely a must-make =).

  61. Gina, I don't have the cute little ramekins. Could you do this in a 9×13 pan and still keep it at 6 servings and same points values?

  62. This looks great. Any chance you have a "crumble" or "crisp" topping rather than a cobbler topping? Our family has always preferred an apple crisp to and apple cobbler and I'd love to make this for the holidays. I used to make an Apple Brown Betty with crushed pecans, brown sugar and butter for the topping. Yummy but not very healthy.

  63. O M G…. apple cobbler is my absolute favorite dessert. EVER! thank you thank you thank you!! I love ur site, and i love you! 🙂

  64. Okay, silly question. How do you cut butter? This looks amazing BTW I'm going to make this next week 🙂 we did the rice krispy treats last night so we are good on desserts right now, also AMAZING!!