When I make Snickerdoodles, or other snickerdoodle-inspired baked goods, I often have leftover cinnamon-sugar mix leftover that I don’t have much use for. Typically, I keep it in a small bowl or plastic bag on the counter and use it up by sprinkling it on a bowl of oatmeal or on top of other baked goods (and sometimes I just make another batch of snickerdoodles!) to use it up. I liked having the extra cinnamon sugar around so much that I eventually just made up a big batch to keep in my pantry for whatever use might come up – and that is how I ended up with this Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cobbler.
This cobbler is a good basic apple cobbler recipe. The filling is made with apples and brown sugar, with a little bit of cornstarch just to help thicken up the apples’ juices as they bake. The cobbler is a biscuit-like dough that is dropped in clumps on top of the apple filling, spreading just enough to give the dish a homey, “cobbled-together” look. The cinnamon sugar mixture goes into the cobbler mix and is used to top off the dessert before baking. The topping layer is fairly generous, resulting in a sweet and slightly crisp “crust” to the cobbler when it is ready to serve. The apples themselves are unspiced, but the brown sugar gives them a real richness.
I would recommend using a good baking apple for this recipe, choosing either a sweeter or more tart apple according to your own preferences. I happened to use pippin apples in this batch. Try to cut the apples all to the same size so that they bake evenly in the cobbler, but if you like your apples to be verging-on-applesauce tender, cut the slices in half before using them and they’ll cook down even more. This crisp is best when it comes out of the oven and is served with vanilla ice cream. It does reheat well if you don’t eat it all in one sitting, and a warmed up bowl of cobbler makes a great breakfast dish, too.
Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cobbler
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 medium apples (approx 2 lbs)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
pinch (1/8 tsp) salt
1 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour (all purpose is ok, too)
1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon.
Peel and core apples, then thinly slice. Toss apples in large bowl with brown sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Pour apple mixture into a 9×9-inch baking dish and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, baking powder, salt and 1/4 cup of the cinnamon-sugar mixture (reserve remaining sugar for topping). Rub in butter with your fingertips until mixture is sandy and no pieces larger than a pea remain. Pour in milk and stir until dough comes together. Drop in large clumps over the apple mixture creating a “cobbled-together” layer of topping.
Sprinkle topping with reserved cinnamon sugar mixture.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until apples are tender.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Serves 9.
Barefeet In The Kitchen
May 25, 2011That looks delicious. One of my favorite breakfasts is a dish of warm peach cobbler with ice cream. 🙂
Jenny
May 25, 2011I would if the apples would be dry or soft and moist? I have granny smith apples but last time I made an apple crisp with them it was dry and not moist at all.