Summer is the time to splurge on fresh fruits, such as cherries, peaches, strawberries, and blueberries. Unlike apples, bananas, and oranges, you can really taste the difference when you buy these stone fruits and berries in season (when you buy them out of season they're usually rock hard and tasteless). While you can grill fresh fruit or turn it into a pie, I find that using fruit in cobblers makes for a more unique dessert experience.
Essentially, cobbler is a fruit-based dessert that has a biscuit-like crust on top. Sometimes confused with a pie or a crisp, cobblers don't typically use oats as a topping or have a pie crust base. Making cobbler is a matter of throwing chopped fruit into a baking dish and topping with blobs of dough (it'll look pretty once you bake it, promise). Take advantage of summer produce while it lasts and make one of these easy cobbler recipes.
1. Personal Strawberry Cobbler
Not only does this recipe incorporate my favorite fruit, but it's also free of refined sugars and gluten. In addition, this recipe makes a single serving, so it's perfect for those nights where you want to make dessert for one without dealing with extra dishes.
2. Blueberry Cobbler with Cookie Dough Crust
Cookie dough in a cobbler? I'm a sucker for anything cookie dough, so I was eager to try this recipe. The cookie dough is a buttery, gooey topping that complements the tart blueberries. My favorite way to serve this cobbler is with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, which pairs well with the warmth of the cobbler.
3. Pumpkin Cobbler
Pumpkin pies are filled with cinnamon, provide a pleasant aroma, and have a smooth filling. Upon seeing this recipe from Delish, I was ecstatic to try it. This pumpkin cobbler is made with canned pumpkin, cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans, which makes for a delicious fall-inspired treat. Even better, it requires only 15 minutes of prep before being popped in the oven.
4. Cake Mix Peach Cobbler
This peach cobbler combines fresh peaches, yellow cake mix, butter, and pecans to make an easy summer dessert. The peaches are soft and the pecans add a crunch to every bite. I like to pair this cobbler with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream, as it adds a comforting caramel flavor to the cobbler.
5. Skillet Cherry Cobbler
This recipe only requires four ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to assemble. Like the cake mix peach cobbler, this recipe also calls for yellow cake mix. Since this cobbler uses pre-made ingredients, it reduces the amount of time you have to be in the kitchen, which is great for when you want a quick treat.
6. Strawberry Pop-Tart Cobbler
This cobbler mimics the strawberry flavor of a Pop-Tart, minus all the sugar, fat, preservatives, and artificial flavors. It even has a glaze on top that tastes just like the icing on a Pop-Tart.
7. Cinnamon Roll Apple Cobbler
Warm and comforting in flavor, this recipe uses less than five ingredients, one of which is canned cinnamon rolls. Many cobbler recipes require more than 10 ingredients, oftentimes ingredients that are not pantry staples, making this recipe stand out.
8. Blackberry Cobbler with Lemon Biscuit Topping
This blackberry cobbler is absolutely divine. Lemon zest enhances the flavor of the berries and brings out their natural sweetness. In addition, the biscuits on top remind me of the Pillsbury biscuits I used to eat as a kid.
9. Sugar Cookie Cherry Cobbler
This cherry cobbler uses cookies instead of a crumble as the topping. Unlike other cobbler recipes that require fresh fruit, this one calls for frozen fruit. Although fresh fruit is the best in the summer, using frozen fruit makes whipping up this cobbler at the last minute even easier. The frozen cherries here also remove the extra step of pitting cherries, which can sometimes be quite tedious.
10. Cheddar Biscuit Cobbler
Who said cobbler has to be sweet? This recipe is perfect for all the cheese lovers out there. This cobbler is made with cheesy cheddar biscuits, soft roasted tomatoes, garlic, and thyme. During the summer months, tomatoes are in abundance, with their peak month being June. Though this may not be the classic dessert cobbler, it's a delicious dish that can be served at lunch, dinner, or even breakfast.
11. Strawberry Cobbler with Lemon
This cobbler reminds me of strawberry lemonade because it incorporates fresh lemon zest and sweet, red strawberries. Unlike most cobbler recipes, this one uses cream cheese to add a softer texture, and the sanding sugar sprinkled on top makes for a beautiful finishing touch.
12. Caramel Apple Cobbler
This easy cobbler recipe has the same delicious flavor as caramel apples, without the mess and toothache from biting into one. The apples are soft and juicy, the caramel is sweet, and the crumb topping has just the right amount of cinnamon in it.
The next time you have fruit on hand and don't know what to make for dessert, try out one of these 12 easy cobbler recipes. At first, cobbler may seem like a complicated and unconventional dessert, but once you try it you'll be amazed at how simple and delicious it is. To store cobbler, keep it in the fridge then warm it up in the oven at 350ºF for about 10-15 minutes, or until the top is bubbling. Alternatively, you can freeze your cobbler, then pop it directly into the oven at 350ºF for about 15-20 minutes (just make sure you're not freezing a crumb or streusel topping). But what are the chances you'll have cobbler left to store anyways?