Best Caramel Apple Cobbler is a sweet taste of fall baked into a dessert. This recipe is comfort food at it’s best. Tart apples, sweet caramel, and warm cinnamon combined with a buttery crust is the quintessential recipe to make during the fall months.
This dessert tastes like an apple pie but much simpler to make especially if you’re not an expert pie crust maker.
I enjoy the “bready” cobbler part of this dessert, it’s buttery and the brown sugar and water create a caramel sauce that really makes the dessert. The apples I chose retain their shape but are soft in texture. It’s a great combination of flavors and textures.
Just a note, I highly recommend serving it warm with a big scoop of good guality vanilla bean ice cream!
When baking with apples the variety is important. I prefer a sweet, tart flavor and an apple that doesn’t cook to mush. After all, I want Apple Cobbler not Apple Sauce Cobbler.
The Best Apples for Baking
I used Honeycrisp apples for this recipe. They are one of the top recommended apples for baking. Other apples that are good to use in baked recipes are Granny Smith, Gala, and Mutsu (Crispin).
First of all, for Best Caramel Apple Cobbler results try using two different varieties of apples for optimum flavor and a more complex tasting cobbler, cake, or pie! (These same tips apply to my Apple Fritter Cake, Fresh Apple Cake, and other apple recipes.)
As well, cut your apples into varying sizes so that some pieces cook down into the cake while the larger pieces provide a nice, bright apple flavor.
Best Caramel Apple Cobbler Tips
- You can substitute all-purpose flour for the self-rising flour in this recipe. That substitution is 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Obviously, adjust according to the recipe amounts.
- I’m not a fan of nutmeg if you aren’t either you may omit it in this recipe.
- If you haven’t baked one of my other highly popular cobblers, you may not be familiar with the hot water trick. You may even think it doesn’t work and you’ve completely ruined the dessert. Have faith. It will work. Now, I know these cobblers have a lot of sugar, but the brown sugar and hot water is what creates the caramel sauce. I don’t recommend reducing the amount of sugar. It’s a dessert after all. Enjoy it and do extra cardio to make up for it.
- I recommend fresh apples. I have not tested the recipe with apple pie filling.
Best Caramel Apple Cobbler
Ingredients
APPLES
COBBLER MIXTURE
- 1 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour read post for substitution
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
SAUCE
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups hot water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer until sugar is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour apples and sauce into a 9x13 inch oven-safe pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, whole milk, and vanilla. (It should be the consistency of pancake batter. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons milk if necessary.)
- Carefully pour batter over the apples in the casserole dish.
- Evenly sprinkle 1 cup brown sugar over the top.
- And then carefully pour 1 and 1/2 cup hot water over the mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees 50 to 55 minutes or until cobbler is set in the center and golden brown on top.
- Serve warm or room temperature. It's great with vanilla ice cream.
- Store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. (It won't last that long)
Notes
Nutrition
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Diana Nordman says
I’ve made this recipe three times in the last month for funeral dinners at church and a fund raiser. It is delish and it’s my go to cobbler recipe from now on. The first time I made it I thought it was awfully sweet, so I cutback on all the sugars and it still delish!! People love this dessert. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Paula says
I’m so happy you like it, Diana.
Pat says
Was looking for apple recipes as I have a big supply from friend’s tree but no idea what kind they are. They are great baking apples, but certainly not tart. I was leery of so much sugar and skeptical of the hot water and will modify the recipe next time. Very high ratio of cobbler to apples and very sweet if not using very tart apples so I will double apples and cut back all 3 sugars. Even though my apples are not high in moisture the caramel was very thin and runny, so I will use only half the hot water next time and because I love cinnamon will double the cinnamon.
Otherwise a good recipe and nice change from apple pie.
Evangelina Garcia says
I tried your caramel apple cobbler . I totally Loved it . When it was was done preparing it , i didn’t think it was going to come out well because of the water at the end. But, let me tell you when it was all set and done it was Awesome. People out you have to try it because I was amazed.. Thank you Paula
Paula says
So happy you enjoyed it!
Linda Waldrep says
Substitution for 1 1/2 cup of self-rising flour is listed as “1” cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking powder and 1/4 tsp. salt. By “adjust according to the recipe amounts, do you mean mix 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsps. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt. Mix until well combined and then measure out 1 1/2 cup of the mixture, which would equate to the 1 1/2 cup of self-rising. I would appreciate your answer Thanks.
Paula says
I get better results with self-rising flour, but if you don’t have self-rising and don’t want to buy it you can make self-rising flour.
For this recipe, you need the equivalent of 1 and 1/2 cups flour — 1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ + 1/8 teaspoon salt.
Leigh says
I think you mean 2 pounds of chopped apples instead of 2 cups…
Paula says
No, 2 cups
Pat Miller says
We tried this today to use up some honey crisp before ruin. This cobbler is the best apple cobbler I have ever made!!! And I AM A BAKER! Will stash this one in the folder to keep and add nuts to for the holidays. Meanwhile will be useful as a weekend easy dessert. Love it! Pat
Paula says
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Paul Reeder says
Just poking fun @Laurie, Maybe you need new glasses. It clearly has a front slash “/” between the 1 and 4.There is no way of mistaking this for 14. Just sayin’
Jane says
Delicious and easy to make. Although, when I cut into it there was a lot of liquid. Maybe instead of 1& a half cups of hot water – 1 cup should be more than enough? Not sure?
Brianna says
Hi Jane, After reading your review on this apple cobbler, I too was a lil nervous about the amount of hot water on top. I cut it down to 1/2 cup brown sugar & 1/2 cup hot water. Pouring it slowly was the trick I think. It was nice and thick & syrupy when I served it a few hours later. Total hit!
Caressa says
This was FANTASTIC! Crisp-tender apples, great caramel sauce, a surprising crisp on top of a not-too-sweet light cake. We ended up eating 2 pieces each, and now it’s gone, just 2 hours after I pulled it out of the oven. That’s a 5-Star review in action!
Sheri says
This is soooo good! I made a test run because I want to serve this as part of our Thanksgiving dessert. The cobbler was gone in one night. Everybody raved about how delicious it is. This is a definite addition to our Thanksgiving desserts. Can I make this the day before(today), stick it in the frig and serve it tomorrow to save time? Or should I make it tomorrow for tomorrow? If I make it today & refrigerate it, will it soupy or soggy? Thanks for such an easy delicious recipe!
Paula says
I’m sorry, I’m just seeing this. I would not refrigerate it. I would make it the same day you want to serve it.
Kathy Hertz says
I refrigerated the leftovers I made and it was delicious cold with either cool whip or ice cream on top!! Loved your recipe. Thank you,
Tracy Brooks says
I’ve have been looking fir an apple cobbler recipe for years and saw this one. It looked sooooo good and was excited to try. However, I did exactly what thevrecipe said, but I did forget to add the baking soda which wasn’t in the instructions. It certainly took more than 55 min to bake. More like an hour and a half maybe. I tasted it and it was delicious.
Paula says
I used self rising flour therefore it does not need baking soda
Yvonne B. says
I have a question, please. I would love to make your apple cobbbler for a graduation party. I have been asked to make a cobbler on one of those big aluminum pans. There should be about 30 people. But I will not be brings the only dessert. Should I double or triple your recipe and any idea how long to cook it???
Paula says
I haven’t had luck making this in larger batches. I would use the same size pan 9×13 that I use and make 2 or 3 that way. Make them separately, don’t alter the recipe.
Yvonne B. says
Ok. Will do. You know your recipes.
I was hoping to at least have them
I’m the oven at the same time
Kara says
Do you have to use whole milk in the cobble recipe or can you substitute for non fat or almond milk?
The Better Baker says
Perfection in a pan. Perfect fall treat as well. So happy you shared with us at Weekend Potluck. Keep ’em comin…please!
Linda says
Paula, I think this is one of the best I’ve seen in a while. I love cobblers. I don’t have to worry about messing up the crust.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Laurie says
Hi, this sounds really good and I put it on my Pinterest. The only problem, and someone who does not do a lot of baking may not realize it, but it looks like you have 14 teaspoons of nutmeg.
Medeja says
Lovely apple dessert..I like cobbler 🙂