How to Make a Delicious Seasonal Cobbler any Time of Year

No matter the time of year, a seasonal cobbler made with fresh fruit is a perfect ending to a meal. Cobbler, a cousin to deep-dish pie, gets its name from its biscuit topping that resembles cobblestones. Ripe, in-season fruit such as peaches, apples, or berries serves as a tasty base for dollops of batter placed on top and baked until golden brown.

If you've never learned how to make cobbler before, this is an excellent opportunity to utilize your favorite fresh seasonal fruits (frozen fruit works, too!) and create a warm, delicious dessert masterpiece. Get your ice cream ready—you'll want a giant scoop to go with your fresh-from-the-oven seasonal cobbler.

How to Make Cobbler

To get started, you'll pick a great fruit cobbler recipe (we've got some tasty recommendations), then follow our Test Kitchen's easy process to make a sweet cobbler filling and crust.

Step 1: Prepare Filling

Once you've made the difficult decision between peach cobbler, berry cobbler, mixed fruit cobbler, or another flavor of fruit cobbler, it's time to start on the cobbler filling. Place the fruit and other filling ingredients in a saucepan ($50, Target) as directed in the recipe. Use a wooden spoon and stir until well mixed.

Step 2: Simmer Cobbler Filling

Cook filling over medium heat, occasionally stirring until the fruit breaks down and gets juicy. Stir constantly until the liquid thickens and bubbles. Keep cobbler filling hot over low heat while you prepare the topping mixture.

Step 3: Prepare Cobbler Topping

The cobbler topping (or cobbler biscuits) is some combination of flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, egg, milk, and sometimes spices such as cinnamon or herbs. For chocolate cobbler biscuits, you add cocoa powder. In a mixing bowl ($8, Walmart), stir the topping mixture ingredients until the dry ingredients are just moistened. The mixture will be lumpy.

Test Kitchen Tip: Do not overmix the cobbler dough for a light, flaky cobbler topping. Overmixed dough produces tough, dense results.

Step 4: Assemble Fruit Cobbler

Transfer the hot filling mixture to a baking dish ($75, Williams Sonoma). Use a flatware tablespoon to scoop up the topping mixture. Use a second spoon to push the mixture onto the hot filling, spacing the mounds equally on the cobbler filling.

Step 5: Bake Cobbler

Bake fruit cobbler until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Enjoy warm with a scoop of ice cream, if you like.

Easy Fruit Cobbler Shortcuts

If peaches (or whatever fruit cobbler you're craving) aren't in season, you can easily substitute frozen fruit for the fresh fruit in most recipes. Have some pie filling in the pantry? Plenty of easy cobbler recipes utilize canned pie filling for the base as well, but make sure you're using recipes that call for it. For example, try our one-pot mixed berry cobbler that includes refrigerated biscuits for a quick and easy dessert.

Are you on seasonal cobbler overload yet? We hope not because there are still a few homemade fruit cobbler recipes you haven't tried. While making peach or apple cobbler might be classic recipes, you can change things up with unique takes that include pumpkin, rhubarb, plums, or even kiwi.

Once you know how to make fruit cobbler, you can dress up the cozy dessert by experimenting with different toppers. For a truly decadent dessert, try topping your fruit cobbler with cinnamon rolls, donuts, or even cookie dough.