Cobbler is one of our favorite ways to showcase fresh, seasonal fruit. Not as fussy as a pie, a fruit-filled cobbler can be topped with a beautiful lattice crust, a streusel topping, or even canned biscuits. For this recipe, we make easy homemade drop biscuits to top this seasonal apple cobbler. For the most apple-iscious flavor, we suggest using a mixture of both tart and sweet apples, which is also used in the Slow-Cooker Apple Butter. Traditionally cooked for hours over the stovetop, let your slow cooker do the work and turn out a deep, golden batch of homemade apple butter. An important element in this apple cobbler, apple butter is also delicious smeared over a hot buttermilk biscuit or spooned over a stack of fluffy pancakes. It's tempting to use all your apples in pies and cakes but making apple butter is a creative way to make use of fall's harvest. Make an extra batch and keep in the refrigerator or give as a food gift.
![Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits](https://www.southernliving.com/thmb/diO7qoylD_QMY7bNjpXcEAC7stE=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/2628601_Fresh_Apple_Cobbler_With_Drop_Biscuits_066-2000-471c3d5c502843d8865895fedcb9345e.jpg)
Ingredients
Cobbler Filling
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2 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 4 medium apples), peeled and cut into ½-inch wedges
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2 pounds Honeycrisp or Gala apples (about 4 medium apples), peeled and cut into ½-inch wedges
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1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
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5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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4 tablespoons butter
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1 cup Slow-Cooker Apple Butter
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1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 2 Tbsp. fresh juice (from 1 large lemon)
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½ teaspoon salt
Drop Biscuits
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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1 tablespoon baking powder
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
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10 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
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1 cup whole milk
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2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
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Prepare the Cobbler Filling: Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss together apples, brown sugar, and flour in a large bowl. Melt butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add apple mixture (skillet will be very full), and cook, stirring often, until apples are almost tender and syrup thickens, about 10 minutes.
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Remove apple mixture from heat; stir in Slow-Cooker Apple Butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes, placing a baking sheet on oven rack directly below skillet to catch any drips.
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Prepare the Drop Biscuits: While the Cobbler Filling bakes, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut butter into flour mixture until texture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces.
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Stir in milk with a fork just until mixture is evenly moistened. Remove Cobbler Filling from oven, and scoop dough into 8 (about ⅓ cup) mounds on top, spacing about 2 inches apart. Brush dough mounds with melted butter; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Return to oven; bake at 425°F until biscuits are golden brown and cobbler is bubbly, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack, and let stand 20 minutes. Serve warm.