Cobblers, crisps, and crumbles are a great way to enjoy your favorite fruits while keeping things simple. After baking those Cherry Cheesecake Bars recently, I still had plenty of cherries just begging to be made into something delicious. I thought to keep things simple with a dessert I could whip up quickly and with minimal mess.
This amazingly easy, rustic cobbler is made in three simple steps. Melt butter. Add batter. Add cherries. And just like that, it’s ready for the oven! There’s no need to stir it all together. It just works its magic while it bakes.
This cobbler all starts with butter. That’s true of so many things, isn’t it? Here, the butter goes into the pan and is melted to the point of browning. Browned butter adds a whole other dimension with its rich, nutty flavor. If you aren’t yet a brown butter convert, this is one of the simplest ways to join the fan club.
Most any pan with a 1-quart capacity will work for this cobbler, although a skillet or a baker like I used will brown the butter better. You can brown the butter in a skillet or pan in the oven while you prep the other ingredients, or you can brown it on the stovetop where you can keep a closer eye on it. It just needs about 5 to 7 minutes to begin foaming and to brown around the edges.
I may be in the minority here, but I often forego topping cobblers with ice cream in favor of some homemade whipped cream. I made a half batch of sweetened whipped cream, substituting almond extract for vanilla. Then, I topped each serving with a dollop of almond whipped cream and a sprinkling of toasted almonds. The almonds, vanilla, and cherries all work together so perfectly for big, big flavor.
This is the kind of go-to cobbler recipe you’ll love to make over and over. You can certainly substitute another fruit for the cherries. Most any fruit or a combination would work quite well. If you like, swap out the vanilla extract for the juice of half of a medium lemon to give it a little different flavor kick. It’s so quick to make that you can easily have fun with seemingly endless variations!
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Brown Butter Cherry Cobbler
It doesn't get much simpler than this 3-step, from-scratch Brown Butter Cherry Cobbler. Such big, amazing flavor!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 to 1 & 1/2 pounds of cherries, pitted
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- sweetened whipped cream or ice cream, for garnish**
- toasted sliced almonds, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Place a 10-inch skillet or a 1-quart baking pan in the oven. Carefully add the butter to the hot skillet and allow the butter to melt until it begins to foam and brown around the edges. Alternately, you can brown the butter over medium heat on the stovetop.
- Meanwhile, stir together the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk, and stir just until combined. It should be similar in consistency to pancake batter. A few lumps are fine.
- Carefully remove the hot skillet with the browned butter from the oven or from the stovetop. Pour the batter over the butter without stirring. Spoon the cherry mixture evenly on top of the batter.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
- Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream and toasted almonds.
Notes
*Substitute 1 teaspoon almond extract or the juice of 1/2 medium lemon.
**I made a half batch and substituted almond extract for the vanilla.
Recipe adapted from MyRecipes.
15 Comments on “Brown Butter Cherry Cobbler”
Sounds so good and easy to make. Great idea for all those odd ball fruits that become ripe and you don’t know what to do with them.
This recipe looks delicious – could I use sour cherries – you didn’t specify?
Thanks
Hi, Nancy. Any kind of cherries will work.
You know, I never thought of putting brown butter and cherries together, but now that you’ve mentioned it, I MUST HAVE IT. Amazing.
I’m so excited to try this recipe! We have amazing local cherries to use. I’ve been adding them to this and that. I made another cheesecake with a cherry-blueberry topper but this is the one I really want to make!! Thanks for another great idea, Jennifer.
Enjoy, Linda!
This was wonderful. I had only a few cherries from this year’s crop, and made a filling with not quite enough for a whole pie, so I used your recipe substituting pie filling for the sweetened cherries. Required about 45 minutes in the oven, but when it was done – oh my. Definitely a keeper. I’m going to try it with peaches this summer. Thanks so much!
I’m glad you liked it, Juliah!
Jennifer, how do you put your cherries. Â I guess I need the little tool that does this.
I meant how do you PIT cherries. Â Lol
Ha! I have a very simple cherry pitter that serves me well. Here’s a link: OXO Cherry Pitter
Could frozen cherries be substituted? If so, should they be put in the batter frozen or thawed?
Hi, Marcia. I would use them frozen, but rinsed well and dried.
Hi Jennifer
You don’t specify what kind of cherries in your recipes….sour cherries or sweet cherries?Â
ThanksÂ
NancyÂ
Hi, Nancy. I prefer sweet cherries. If I’ve use sour cherries, I note that in the recipe.