Ripe, juicy plums are certainly delicious on their own, but they’re even better when baked into a jammy plum cobbler. It’s got bubbly sugared plums at the bottom and a biscuit-like topping, and since this plum cobbler recipe calls for a full quart of peeled and sliced plums it’s the perfect dessert to use up all of that delicious summer fruit. Because the components for this easy plum cobbler can be mixed together quickly and it bakes for less than an hour, it’s ideal for an impromptu summer get together with friends, just as sweet as this dessert.
Ingredients for Plum Cobbler
- Fresh plums: Peeled and sliced plums of any color can be used to make the base of this easy plum cobbler.
- Sugar: Sugar is added to sweeten the plums as well as the crumb topping for this peach cobbler.
- All-purpose flour: Flour thickens the sugary plum mixture as it bakes, and it’s also the base for the biscuit-like topping for this dessert.
- Ground cinnamon: Warming cinnamon helps accentuate the flavor of the plums.
- Baking powder: Baking powder is the leavening agent that gives this cobbler topping rise and makes it fluffy.
- Cold butter: Butter is cut into this recipe to make a biscuit-like topping for this cobbler. Cold butter helps to make a dough flaky and crisp, which is ideal in this recipe. Salted or unsalted butter can be used in this recipe, but keep in mind that a salted butter might mean using less salt initially in your dough.
- Egg: A large egg helps to bind the topping together, and can also be used to brush across the top of the topping to make it golden brown in the oven.
Directions
Step 1: Combine the fruit and sugar
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 11×7-inch baking dish with a cooking spray or butter. In a large bowl, mix together the plums, sugar, flour and cinnamon. Transfer the plums to the prepared dish.
Step 2: Mix the topping
In a small bowl, make the topping by combining the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter and mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the beaten egg. The dough should be crumbly and slightly stick together.
Step 3: Assemble the cobbler and bake
Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the plums evenly in the baking dish, then until the topping is golden and the plum mixture is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.
Recipe Variations
- Mix with other fresh fruit: Don’t have enough plums on hand? Feel free to get creative by adding other fresh fruits that could pair well in this easy plum cobbler recipe. We recommend peaches, berries, or even rhubarb.
- Shape the topping into biscuits: With clean hands, shape the topping into eight biscuits that can be placed on top. This make is easy to scoop out servings with a biscuit on top and jammy fruit underneath. If you want to make the biscuits look golden brown, brush the tops with additional beaten egg.
- Serve with ice cream: Cobbler is best served warm with cold ice cream. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, you could attempt to make your own homemade custard ice cream.
How to Store Plum Cobbler
Plum cobbler can last in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s also possible to freeze plum cobbler for 2 months, but keep in mind that the texture of the topping might change when thawing it in the fridge before reheating.
How do you reheat plum cobbler?
Cobbler can be warmed in the microwave, but for the best texture we recommend reheating it covered in the oven at 300°F for 15 or 20 minutes, until the fruit starts bubbling again. Remove the cover in the last few moments to re-crisp the topping slightly.
Plum Cobbler Tips
What types of plums should I use in this plum cobbler?
Typically European plums — the purple or deep reddish plums you see at the store — are the best used in this plum cobbler recipe. If you want to change things up, you could use a mix of purple and yellow plums (also known as Mirabelle plums), but keep in mind the taste of that cobbler might be a little more tart.
What is the best way to peel plums?
If you’re looking for an easy way to peel plums, you can drop them into a pot of boiling water for 15 seconds, then blanch them in an ice bath. The skin should be easy to peel off from there.
Can you use frozen plums in this cobbler?
Yes, you can use frozen plums in the same way you would use fresh plums; no need to defrost them. Simply follow the recipe as is and proceed as normal. Frozen plums will make this cobbler especially juicy and jammy, if that’s a result you’re going for.
