Cherry Cobbler

This easy cherry cobbler has a sweet, juicy cherry filling and soft, buttery biscuit topping. It’s the perfect way to showcase fresh summer cherries and tastes delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Summertime means cherry season. And I honestly don’t think there’s a better way to showcase fresh, sweet, dark purply-red cherries than this cherry cobbler recipe. You get a layer of juicy, bubbling cherry pie filling underneath a fluffy, cakey, biscuit topping that’s golden brown on top. And it’s way easier to make than any cherry pie I’ve ever met.

Cherry Cobbler

A cobbler is a simple fruit dessert with a fruit filling and flaky biscuit topping. This recipe is similar to my favorite cherry crisp, but instead of a crunchy oatmeal crumble we have a soft, fluffy, slightly doughy biscuit on top.

The cherry filling is made with:

• 6 cups pitted cherries – you’ll need about 1.5 – 2 lbs total
• ⅔ cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

The lemon juice and almond extract really complement the flavor of the cherries. Plus – the acid in the lemon juice helps to bring out the juice of the cherries and soften the cherry skin. If you don’t have any almond extract you could leave it out, but I definitely do not recommend leaving out the lemon juice.

All the ingredients get tossed together, and then go into the bottom of a 9×9-inch ceramic baking pan. I like an extra juicy, fruit layer – so there’s a whole lot of cherries. 

Then the biscuit topping is a simple stir together type of dough. There’s not too much sugar in it because the sweet cherry filling is really the star of the show. For the cakey, fluffy topping you’ll need:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 large egg yolk (discard the white)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk

It’s important not to work the biscuit dough too much, otherwise it can get dense and tough. Once it looks almost mixed together – then you’re good to go.

You’ll break off sections of the biscuit dough, flatten them slightly, and then cobble them together on top of the cherry layer. It doesn’t need to cover all of the berries. The biscuits will expand as they bake, and you want to see some fruit bubbling through underneath.

What about cherry cobbler with frozen berries? If you’d like to make this with frozen berries, simply thaw the berries first. Then drain out the liquid and pat them dry.

Or cherry cobbler with cherry pie filling? If you’d like to use cherry pie filling (whether your own or store bought), dump two 21 ounce cans in the baking dish. Then prepare the biscuit topping as the recipe states and bake as directed. Note that the quality of this dessert really depends on the deliciousness of your cherries.

Buttery, fluffy biscuit topping, plump, juicy cherries, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. What more could you want?

For more cherry desserts, be sure to try:

• Cherry Crisp
• Cherry Almond Bars
• Black Forest Brownies

Print Recipe

Cherry Cobbler

This easy cherry cobbler has a sweet, juicy cherry filling and soft, buttery biscuit topping. It's the perfect way to showcase fresh summer cherries and tastes delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cherry Pie Filling, Cobbler, Fresh Cherries, Frozen Cherries

Servings: 6 people

Author: Fiona Dowling

Ingredients

Cherry Layer

• 6 cups pitted cherries , about 1.5 - 2 lbs
• ⅔ cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch*

Biscuit Topping

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted & cooled slightly
• 1 large egg yolk , discard the white
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup buttermilk**

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

Cherry Layer

• Add the pitted cherries, sugar, lemon juice, almond extract, and cornstarch to a large bowl.
• Carefully stir the mixture so the cherries are evenly coated.

Biscuit Layer

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
• In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the melted butter, egg, vanilla extract and buttermilk.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir the mixture together until it's just mixed together. Be careful not to over mix. It will look lumpy.

Assemble & Bake

• With a slotted spoon, spoon the cherry mixture into a 9x9 inch pan. You can leave the extra juice in the bottom of your bowl.
• Break off small sections of the biscuit dough, flatten slightly and place over top of the cherries leaving a little space between each piece of biscuit. I usually do about 8-9 sections total.
• Cover the pan lightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove the aluminum foil and continue baking for 25-30 minutes, or until the biscuit layer is golden brown and you can see the cherries bubbling underneath.
• Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream. Optionally sprinkle 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar on top first.

Notes

*If you don't have cornstarch, use 3 tablespoons of flour instead.

**You could substitute buttermilk with ½ cup milk mixed with 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. 

Store leftovers covered in the fridge. To reheat, preheat the oven to 250F degrees. Cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake until warm in the center.