No-Fail Gluten-Free Apple Cobbler with Biscuit Topping

Make the best gluten-free apple cobbler with my timeless, old fashioned recipe! Gluten-free cobbler has an ideally sweetened cinnamon apple filling that bakes up juicy, tender, and perfectly thickened, thanks to an easy trick of adding a grated apple. It is topped with buttery, soft drop biscuit topping - easy enough for a GF baking novice to pull it off. I'll show you how, step by step!

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Total Time 55

Servings

Author Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

Apple Filling

⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (30 g) brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 ¾ pounds (1.25 kg) (about 5 large) Golden Delicious apples peeled and cut into ½" cubes
1 Golden Delicious apple peeled and grated
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter melted

Cobbler Topping

1 ⅓ cup (129 g) all purpose gluten-free flour I recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour
⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup (76 g) unsalted butter chopped
½ cup (120 g) milk
1 tablespoon coarse sugar optional for topping
1 tablespoon milk optional for topping
ice cream or whipped cream, for serving

Instructions

Apple Filling:

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease a 11X7 or 2 quart baking dish.
In a large bowl whisk together sugar, brown sugar, water, vanilla extract, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add chopped apples and grated apple. Stir to combine.
⅓ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 2 ¾ pounds (about 5 large) Golden Delicious apples, 1 Golden Delicious apple
Transfer to prepared baking dish. Pour melted butter over top of apple filling. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Cobbler Topping:

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the chilled butter pieces to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender, fork, or fingers to cut butter into the flour until small, crumbly pieces remain.
1 ⅓ cup all purpose gluten-free flour, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅓ cup unsalted butter
Gently stir in the milk until no flour pockets remain and the dough holds together easily.
½ cup milk

For best results, chill the dough for 20 minutes to soften the GF starches, eliminating any potential grittiness.

Pat the dough into flat rounds and place on top of fruit filling. I usually get about 8 biscuits. It is fine if fruit is showing through. If desired, use a pastry brush to brush milk on top of biscuits and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
1 tablespoon milk, 1 tablespoon coarse sugar
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until biscuits start to brown and toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean, and the fruit filling is bubbly. Let cool for 30-60 minutes before serving. Filling will thicken as it cools. Serve slightly warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Notes

Dairy-Free / Vegan Adaptations

Sub out the regular milk with your favorite dairy-free milk of choice and substitute the butter with either shortening or plant-based butter sticks, such as Earth Balance.

To serve, use a store-bought coconut whipped cream, such as CocoWhip, or make homemade coconut whipped cream. Supermarkets also carry many vegan / dairy-free ice cream options as well.

HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT COBBLER

Cover fruit cobbler with foil and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. It may also be refrigerated up to one week.
Reheat individual servings in the microwave.
To maintain texture, heat it in the oven. Allow it to come to room temperature. Bake at 250ºF for about 20 minutes or until warmed through. You may want to loosely cover with foil to prevent the biscuits from becoming overcooked.
To freeze, bake the entire cobbler and allow to cool completely. Wrap the cobbler tightly in plastic wrap and foil, and mark the date on the outside of the foil, and freeze for up to two months.

Nutrition