Apricot Cobbler

Celebrate summer with this simple apricot cobbler recipe. Baked until sweet and juicy, ripe apricots are topped with soft cinnamon dusted biscuit dough for the most comforting dessert.

Stone fruit season is by far my favorite time of the year. While I’m partial to peaches and nectarines, both fruits being the only kind of fruit I will actually consider dessert on its own, apricots are under appreciated for the short time they’re around.

A gorgeous looking bag of organic apricots appeared at the farmer’s market the other week and with their season about to end (it typically runs from May through July), I snatched them up with plans to make this apricot cobbler.

Summer fruit usually turns into crisps in my house. Whether it’s a sour cherry crisp or strawberry ginger crisp, they’re just so easy and quick and a dessert I can make without a recipe. Hard to beat that.

Cobbler is a little more involved but not by much. For the extra effort you’re rewarded with tender, juicy sweet fruit and a soft cinnamon biscuit topping. It’s similar to a buckle but heavier on the fruit. I’ve always likened cobbler to a delicious compromise between pie and cake.

While this recipe uses apricots, it’s easily adjusted to any other stone fruit you like.

Ingredients needed to make apricot cobbler

• apricots
• maple syrup
• tapioca starch (can swap cornstarch or arrowroot powder)
• all-purpose flour (either regular or gluten free)
• almond flour
• coconut sugar
• baking powder
• salt
• unsalted butter
• plain yogurt
• coconut milk (full fat from a can)
• vanilla extract

Apricots — When you see apricots available at the market or store, grab them. Their season is short and they bruise easily so you have to capitalize on the opportunity when it presents itself to enjoy this wonderful early summer fruit.

Flours — This recipe can be made gluten-free easily by using either a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend or cassava flour. Cassava is a one of the most reliable 1 to 1 gluten free flour swaps (it makes great AIP pancakes for this reason). The almond flour should remain constant as it gives the biscuits a lovely hearty texture.

A tip for vegan baking

Looking to make this apricot cobbler vegan? Simply swap out the butter for any plant based butter (Miyokos brand is my favorite) and use a plant-based plain yogurt. Cobbler is pretty forgiving and since the biscuit topping sort of bakes into the apricot base, it’s not the same as making stand alone flaky biscuits. For that, try these citrus honey biscuits, they won’t disappoint.

How to make apricot cobbler

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Pit and quarter the apricots. They should be pretty ripe for this recipe. If they’re underripe, consider adding a touch more maple syrup to the fruit mixture.

Combine the quartered apricots in a large bowl with the maple syrup, tapioca starch and a pinch of salt. Toss to combine then transfer to a baking dish.

Bake the apricots for 12-15 minutes just until they start to soften.

Meanwhile, make the biscuit topping. Combine the flours, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt and cold diced butter in a large bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or the back of a fork. You can also use your fingers to do this. Once the mixture resembles coarse meal or pea sized crumbles, set it aside in the refrigerator.

Combine the coconut milk, yogurt and vanilla in a small sauce pot over medium heat. Stirring frequently, cook until steamy. Avoid boiling the mixture to prevent it from separating but it should be hot.

Remove the bowl from the fridge and pour the milk mixture into it. Quickly combine with a spatula until the biscuit dough forms.

Using a spoon or cookie scoop, drop dollops of the biscuit dough on top of the semi-baked apricots.

Brush each biscuit dollop with a touch of coconut milk and sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake the cobbler for about 25 minutes until the apricots are very bubbly and the biscuit dough is cooked through.

Remove from the oven and let rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serving the cobbler

Cobbler is best enjoyed warm. This can either be straight out of the oven after a short rest period or reheated until warmed through if it was previously made.

A scoop of vanilla ice cream, coconut cream or whipped cream is an obvious choice but even without any of those toppings, this apricot cobbler will delight. It’s sweet, jammy and juicy with lovely soft, doughy cinnamon sugar biscuits that practically melt in your mouth.

Make it ahead

To prepare this ahead of time the apricots can be taken through the first bake and stored in the refrigerator overnight. The biscuit dough can be prepped to the point of cutting in the butter and also stored in the fridge.

Cobbler can be baked hours in advance and served at either room temperature or reheated in the oven at 350° until warmed through.

Should you peel apricots before baking?

This is completely optional and not necessary at all especially for baking apricot cobbler. Apricot skin is very delicate and thin and just like a peach or nectarine, can be left on when baking.

To peel apricots they’d have to be blanched then cooled in ice water and it’s quite the process. Cobbler is a rustic dessert, peeling the apricots is not needed.

Can you use canned apricots?

Fresh is best and this recipe is meant to showcase in season fruit. That said, canned could be used in a pinch or out of season.

Look for canned fruit in water, not syrup and recognize the filling might be thinner in nature. If you can only source canned apricots in syrup, make sure to drain them thoroughly and use less sugar in the recipe to account for the extra sweetness.

Dried apricots will not work in this recipe. Make apricot scones with dried fruit instead.

Can you freeze cobbler?

This recipe makes four servings so there should be little need to freeze it. However, it can be frozen if wrapped tightly but the biscuits will likely get soggy as it thaws. It’s best to freeze the filling by itself and make the biscuit dough fresh when ready to bake.

How to store leftovers

For storing leftover cobbler, wrap tightly with plastic wrap or foil and keep in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and then reheat in the oven. If you go directly from the refrigerator to the oven with a glass or ceramic baking dish, it may shatter.

The many variations of cobbler

One of the neat things about a cobbler is the many different ways there are to make one. They vary extensively with some featuring rustic drop biscuits like this one, others using very firm cut biscuits and still others that employ a soft cake-like batter on top.

A southern style cobbler is another variation that’s basically the inverse of this type of cobbler. Southern cobblers start with the cake-like topping on the bottom and are then topped with the fruit mixture. These cobblers remind me of a classic upside down cake.

Watch the web story for how to make easy apricot cobbler.