Cherry Cobbler with Cream Biscuit Topping

Bubbling with lots of sweet and juicy fruit, my cherry cobbler is a favorite homemade dessert to whip up during cherry season when a rustic treat is what I long for. Prepared with a tender cream biscuit topping to soak up the tangy juices from the fresh cherries, this fruity cobbler is bursting with the flavors of summer nestled into a deliciously old-fashioned dessert!

The Sweet Flavors of Cherry Season in a Cobbler

There's nothing quite like the perfectly ripened fruits of the summer season, and cherries are definitely at the top of my list when it comes to favorites.

Plump with a stunningly deep ruby color and a mouthwatering abundance of sweet-tart juice, fresh cherries have a fairly short season, typically starting in late May/early June and going through part of August, depending upon where they are being harvested.

Once I start seeing those large cello-bags with the zip tops appearing in the markets, my mouth begins to water, my tummy rumbles, and I become excited at the prospect of having these glorious gems on hand to bake up some rustic and cozy summery desserts with lots of sweet, juicy flavor.

And since I absolutely adore crisps and cobblers, and find them the perfect vessels to nestle the fresh fruits of the season into, I had a terrific time in my kitchen creating this tasty recipe for my cherry cobbler with a cream biscuit topping.

Prepared using fresh, sweet cherries and a golden cream biscuit topping, my cherry cobbler recipe is the perfect sweet summer dessert to bake up and dig into with spoons, perhaps with a little ice cream or whipped cream, if you wish!

A Cherry Cobbler Recipe with a Cream Biscuit Topping

I love a light, tender and slightly sweet biscuit topping when it comes to cobblers, and nothing beats a cream biscuit when it comes to preparing an easy biscuit topping.

Cream biscuits are very basic with just a few ingredients consisting of flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and heavy cream (hence the name “cream” biscuits).

They don't need butter added to them, as the heavy cream does all of the enriching. And since the consistency is more on the side of a thicker batter, you can use a medium ice cream scoop or large tablespoon to dollop the biscuit topping over the filling.

Because I really appreciate the opportunity to use fresh, seasonal fruit any chance I get, I opt for fresh cherries in this cobbler, and keep the filling simple yet very flavorful...

To thicken up the fruit as it cooks/bubbles in the cobbler, I use some cornstarch mixed with the sugar that I add in, plus a small squeeze of lemon. But I also have a little secret to giving the cherry filling lots of rich, cherry flavor, and that's almond extract.

Almond naturally has lots of almost cherry-like flavor, and has a warmth to it, offering a bit of an amaretto-like note—so delicious!

Here's a sneak peek at my cherry cobbler recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. Because I'm using fresh cherries here, I begin by pitting the cherries using a cherry pitter to quicken the process; then, I add my cherries to a large bowl, add in my squeeze of lemon juice and my almond extract, then toss with my sugar/cornstarch mixture and pour into my baking dish.
2. Next, I mix together my cream biscuit topping batter, then using an ice cream scoop (or a large spoon), I dollop portions of the batter over top of the cherry filling.
3. Then, I brush the biscuits with some additional cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar for some sparkle, then bake on a foil-lined baking sheet for 1 hour, until golden-brown on top, bubbling and juicy inside.

Recipe

Cherry Cobbler with Cream Biscuit Topping

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This cherry cobbler is a deliciously sweet and juicy dessert prepared with fresh cherries and a rich and tender cream biscuit topping!

Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Yield: 10 (servings)

Nutrition Info: 305 calories per serving (topped with 1 biscuit)

Prep Time: 45 minutes (allows for pitting cherries)
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Cherry Filling Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons corn starch
• 2 ½ pounds fresh dark, sweet cherries, pitted (this equals about 6 cups once pitted)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure almond extract

Cream Biscuit Topping Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream, cold, plus extra for brushing over biscuits
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for sparkle

Preparation:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°, and lightly mist a medium baking dish with cooking spray, or smear with softened butter. Also, line a baking sheet with foil, to place the cobbler onto as it bakes, to catch any juicy drippings.
2. To prepare your filling, combine the brown and granulated sugar, as well as the pinch of salt in a small bowl; add to this the corn starch, and using a fork, combine the sugars/salt with the cornstarch until completely blended; set aside.
3. Add your pitted cherries to a large bowl, and pour over the lemon juice and the almond extract; then, evenly sprinkle over the sugar/cornstarch mixture, and toss everything together gently, until well combined; pour into your prepared baking dish making sure to get all of the accumulated juices.
4. To prepare your cream biscuit topping, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl, and whisk to blend; add the vanilla extract to the heavy cream and mix together, then slowly drizzle the cream into the flour mixture, mixing with a spoon or fork just until combined. (The dough/batter will be thick and sticky, which is perfect, as these as drop-style biscuits.)
5. Using a medium-size ice cream scoop (2 tablespoon size) or a large spoon, scoop out 10 portions of the dough, and arrange over top of the cherries, leaving a small gap in between each portion as the biscuits will sort of spread into the cobbler as it bakes.
6. Brush each biscuit with a small amount of extra cream, then sprinkle over some of the turbinado sugar; place the cobbler onto the baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, covering the top of the cobbler loosely with foil for the last 10 - 12 minutes of baking to prevent to biscuits from becoming too dark. (I like to turn my cobbler halfway through baking for even browning.)
7. Once out of the oven, allow the cobbler to cool to “warm” or even room temp (about 45 minutes to 1 hour), and serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or plain.

Tips & Tidbits for my Cherry Cobbler with Cream Biscuit Topping:

• Use a cherry pitter, for quicker pitting: Since pitting cherries is a bit of an arduous process, I like to expedite things a little by using a cherry pitter. It's the kind that allows for 6 cherries at a time to be pitted. (Works pretty well, just need to double check that all the pits are removed!)
• If fresh cherries are out of season, substitute frozen: You can substitute frozen cherries for the fresh ones by using the same amount in cups as the fresh, pitted cherries. You'll need a bit more cornstarch, so add about 1 ½ teaspoons more.
• Almond extract for added flavor: To give a little more of a flavorful pop to the fresh cherries, add a nice splash of the almond extract. It has an amaretto-like flavor which highlights the natural cherry flavor and gives it a bit of richness.
• Use an ice cream scoop for the biscuit batter: I like to use a medium-size ice cream scoop (2 tablespoon size) for the cream biscuit batter to help make even little mounds. If you don't have one, simply use a large spoon to drop/dollop batter over the filling.
• Allow the cobbler to cool before serving to avoid runny juices: Giving the piping-hot cobbler a chance to cool off after baking—about 45 minutes to 1 hour—will help the juices to thicken up a bit and not run quite as much once when you scoop out the cobbler.

Hungry for more seasonal sweet treats? Check out this Berry Crisp, this Nectarine Crumb Tart, this Peach Galette, this Blueberry Compote, or this Strawberry Jam!