With browned butter tossed apples and a snickerdoodle cookie topping, this recipe takes a slight twist on the classic apple cobbler we all love and look forward to every fall.

Difference between a cobbler, crisp, and crumble

First, let’s cover the big universal question.

What’s the difference between a cobbler, crisp, and crumble?

– Crumble is like a streusel – a flour, sugar butter combo that crumbles on top of fruity desserts and often muffins.
– Crisp is more of a crunchy topping and typically includes oats.
– Cobbler is a thick layer of biscuit or some kind of dough on top of a deep dish dessert. I chose to go the cobbler route because I love the contrast between the tart, crispy apples and the soft cookie-like topping. What’s not to love about that?

How to make apple cobbler

1. Brown butter

2. Toss thinly sliced apples with butter and sugar mixture.

3. Spread evenly in a sprayed 9×13″ pan or a cast iron pan.

4. Make snickerdoodle cookie dough and cinnamon sugar topping.

5. Flatten pieces of dough and place onto of apples. Spread cinnamon sugar on top.

6. Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

Best Apple Cobbler

A few things make this cobbler an absolute favorite:

Apples – I love using granny smith apples in cobblers and pies. Being crisp and tart keeps the texture from getting too mushy and the flavor from getting overly sweet. Tart, crisp red apples (or a mix of green and red) are a great choice as well.

Butter – This recipe is unique in that it uses BROWNED BUTTER. Browned butter is simply butter that’s heated on the stove until slightly “burnt”, or when small flecks appear and the color is a rich golden brown. This brings out SO many warm flavors to any baked good – so naturally it had to go in our cozy cobbler.

Cookie topping – A snickerdoodle cookie dough topping brings out all the best flavors. The texture and flavors make this unique apple cobbler a home run.

Make ahead – You can definitely prep this in advance! Assemble and store in the fridge until ready to bake. I love preparing it in a morning or afternoon so it’s ready for dessert that night. Just pop it in the oven while you’re eating dinner without the worry or hassle of work and clean up. I wouldn’t prep it more than 12 hours in advance to keep the filling fresh.

Apple Cobbler Video Tutorial

More favorite fall recipes:

Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies
Caramel Apple Pecan Sticky Buns
Best Ever Carrot Cake
Sourdough Pumpkin Loaf
Pumpkin Streusel Bread

Snickerdoodle Apple Cobbler

Lori Vaughn

With browned butter in the filling and a snickerdoodle cookie to top, this recipe takes a drool worthy twist on the classic apple cobbler we all love and look forward to every fall.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

  

Apple base:

• About 5-6 medium granny smith apples (or tart red apples) (about 35 oz peeled & sliced)
• ¼ cup butter (salted or unsalted is fine)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 TB cornstarch
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg (optional)

Snickerdoodle cookie topping:

• ½ cup butter, (room temperature)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon, set aside
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar, set aside

Instructions

 

Apple base:

• Peel and thinly slice the apples. Place in large mixing bowl.
• Heat up the butter in a small sauce pan on the stove until it begins to brown. There should be brown flecks throughout. Pour over apple mixture, add lemon juice, and toss.
• Add brown sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss again until apples are evenly coated.

Snickerdoodle topping:

• Using a hand or stand mixer, combine butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Beat until combined and smooth, about 1 minute. Add egg and vanilla. Mix again until just combined. Add the flour, tartar, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Mix again. If the dough still seems very sticky, you may add an additional 1-2 tbsp flour, or until dough is soft but not wet or extremely sticky.
• In a separate bowl, combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Assembly:

• Preheat oven to 375° F. Prepare a cast iron pan or spray a 9x13" pan.
• Pour apple mixture into pan. Arrange and flatten apples as needed to get a mostly flat top.
• Flatten pieces of the cookie dough with your hands and place over the apples. Sprinkle the top °generously with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Bake for about 40 minutes, until bubbly and topping begins to turn golden brown.
• Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Notes

STORING & REHEATING:

Store in the refrigerator, covered, for 3-5 days. You can reheat by microwaving individual pieces or reheat the whole pan by covering the top with aluminum foil and heat in the oven at 350 F for about 15 minutes, or until warm. 

PREPARING IN ADVANCE:

Yes, you can prep this in advance! Assemble the entire pan as if immediately baking, but instead of baking, cover and place in the fridge. You could prep in a morning or afternoon to have for a treat that night. While I haven't tried pushing the limit in the prep ahead category, I wouldn't recommend preparing more than 12 hours in advance to keep the apples and mixture fresh. You could prepare the cookie dough portion though a week in advance, and it even freezes well! 

Keyword apple, apple cobbler, apple dessert, cast iron, cinnamon, cobbler, dessert, easy, easy dessert, fall, fall dessert, quick, snickerdoodle

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