Fruit cobbler recipes vary a little in the kind of toppings they have, either crumbly or biscuity. This easy version (adapted from one of Emeril Lagasse’s on the Food Network site) is the latter: a cornmeal biscuit topping with fruit underneath. First, heat pitted fresh cherries in a skillet with white and brown sugars, orange juice, and a little cornstarch until the mixture thickens (partially cooking the filling ensures that it doesn’t end up watery). Then, top with a biscuit-style dough and finish in the oven until golden brown and bubbling. It’s great served plain, or you can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

For more, try our Cherry Clafoutis or Peach Cobbler recipe.

  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients (13)

For the filling:

  • 6 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch

For the biscuit topping:

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into small pieces
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup milk

Instructions

For the filling:

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
  2. In a nonreactive skillet or medium saucepan, combine the pitted cherries, sugars, orange juice, and cornstarch and stir to combine.
  3. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture bubbles and gets a little thick. If you’re using an oven-safe skillet you can leave the filling in it, or transfer the mixture to an 8-by-8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

For the biscuit topping:

  1. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl to combine. Add the butter and toss with your fingers until well coated in the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until reduced to pea-size pieces, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Mix together the egg and milk and quickly stir it into the flour-butter mixture until a soft, crumbly dough forms.

To assemble and bake:

  1. Drop the biscuit topping by spoonfuls onto the filling. Bake until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges, about 25 minutes.
  2. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream.