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This EASY apple cobbler recipe is topped with snickerdoodle cookies for a fun twist on a traditional cobbler. Once you try it, this may just become your favorite fall treat! It’s spiced with cinnamon with a delicious apple filling and the cookie crumble topping takes it over the top!
This is the original Snickerdoodle Apple Cobbler recipe and it’s the best!
I love apple season and I really think it’s my favorite time of year. I can never get enough apple recipes and this homemade apple crumble is just one of a few that I have on my list this year. The baking possibilities with apples are endless!
This isn’t your ordinary cobbler, though. This snickerdoodle apple crumble is a mash-up of two favorite treats. Instead of a regular crumble topping, it’s topped with homemade snickerdoodle dough that bakes up soft just like cookies.
Combine Two Treats for the Best Ever Apple Cobbler
People who have been following this blog for a while already know I love a great dessert mash-up. So much, in fact, I wrote a whole cookbook about combining desserts together to make new and amazing treats! This cookie-cobbler recipe is the newest addition and I have to say: the combination is perfection.
Basically, it’s a cobbler made from cookies and combines my favorite sugar cookie recipe with my favorite way to eat apples – in pie!
Table of Contents
What is the difference between apple crisp and cobbler?
It gets confusing, doesn’t it? Here’s the difference:
- A crisp usually has a topping that is lighter and crunchier because it’s made with oats, flour and often some kind of nuts.
- A cobbler usually has a softer topping similar to biscuits, although there are many versions including ones that are made with cake batter.
This version I’m sharing today definitely falls in the cobbler camp. The cookie dough that is dropped on top creates a soft and slightly chewy crust.
What kind of apples are best for cobbler?
I prefer a tart apple for baking, like Granny Smith, because they flavor balances perfectly with the sweetness from the topping. They also hold their shape well when you bake them and don’t fall apart easily or get mushy.
You can definitely use your favorite apple in this recipe, especially if you prefer one that is less tart. But I would choose on that is crisp like Pink Lady or Honeycrisp varieties.
Precook the Apples for the Best Results
What I think is equally important when you bake with apples is pre cooking them first. I don’t like crunchy apples in my desserts whether it’s pie, cobblers, or cake. No crunchy apples for me, thanks!
So, I always partially cook them before assembling whatever I’m making. Yes, it adds a step but it makes a huge difference and the apples always come out perfectly soft and tender.
So, the first step is to cook them on the stove first before you make and assemble the crumble. Here’s what you will need:
- Unsalted butter
- Peeled and sliced apples
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
Melt the butter in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the apples, sugar, and cinnamon and stir it together so the apples are evenly coated in everything.
Cook them for about five minute or until they start to turn translucent and then take them off the heat and let them cool. If you prefer them even softer you can cook them longer or if you want them firmer just reduce the cooking time.
While they cool you can make the snickerdoodle cookie dough for the topping.
How to Make Apple Cobbler
Once you have your partially cooked apples and snickerdoodle cookie dough it’s time to assemble the cobbler.
You have TWO options for baking this cobbler:
- If you have an oven safe skillet, cook the apples and bake the cobbler in the same pan.
- If you don’t have an oven safe skillet, transfer the apples into a 9×13” baking dish.
Drop tablespoons of the cookie dough over the top of the apples in a single layer.
Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and then sprinkle it over the top of the dough.
Bake the cobbler for about 25 minutes or until the topping starts to brown.
Oh, and just wait until that amazing apple and cinnamon aroma fills up your kitchen. Is there anything more “fall” than that?
This is the Perfect NEW Way to Enjoy Homemade Apple Cobbler!
How to serve Apple Cobbler
Of course, you are going to want to serve this warm with ice cream or some whipped cream. Sprinkling a little more cinnamon over the top would not be a bad idea either!
Once you try it, you’ll want to make it a tradition to make it every year! It’s such an easy apple cobbler recipe one of our favorite fall traditions – the combination of cinnamon sugar cookies and sweet, buttery apples is so hard to resist. I hope you love it!
Other Favorite Recipes
- Apple Crumble Bars
- Why not try a chocolate chip cookie cobbler?
- Apple Strudel
Have you made this recipe?
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Snickerdoodle Apple Cobbler
Recipe Video
Ingredients
For the Apples
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin (or your favorite apples)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cobbler
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
For the topping
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
Make apples:
- Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sliced apples, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Toss to coat. Cook for 5-8 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the apples just become translucent. Set aside to cool while you make the topping.
Make snickerdoodle topping:
- Cream 3/4 cup butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat in egg and extract. Mix in baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Slowly mix in flour.
- Pour apples into a 9×13” baking dish. Spoon tablespoons of the cookie dough mixture evenly over the top in a single layer.
- Mix remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over cookie dough.
- Bake for about 24-26 minutes until the cookie dough starts to brown. Cool slightly before serving. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream. Store in refrigerator loosely covered for up to 3 days.
Recipe Nutrition
Have you ever heard of a Snickerdoodle Apple Cobbler? That’s right – instead of a basic cobbler, bake this with cookie dough on top! I hope you love it as much as we do. Original post date: 2015.
Made this dessert for my work’s Christmas party and it was such a hit. Will definitely make this again!!!
I made this dairy-free by using Earth Balance spread in place of the butter. Absolutely delicious!
I have made this so many times and absolutely love it- it’s been one of my family’s favorite desserts. However, I’ve had to become gluten-free recently. Do you think I could just substitute the normal flour for gluten free flour? Thank you!
I haven’t tried that flour in this recipe although I have in others, with success. If you try it will you let me know if it works?
What adjustments would you make to the cook time or anything else in the recipe if you were planning to prep everything in the baking dish a few days before baking?
You can make the cookie dough ahead of time, up to 2 days, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. You can prepare and cook the apples up to a day ahead. Or assemble the whole thing, put it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking
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