Easy Apple Skillet Cobbler (Gluten-Free, Grain-Free)
This irresistible apple skillet cobbler gets assembled and baked in a cast iron skillet! It features tender almond shortcakes on top and caramelized, jammy apples on bottom. Topped with a scoop of ice cream, it’s one of the ULTIMATE fall desserts! The shortcakes are much easier to make than traditional biscuits (the batter is a cinch) and are naturally gluten-free and grain-free!
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
Shortcake topping
- 2 ¼ cups (248 g) almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup (52 g) sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
Apple filling
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 ½ pounds crisp apples, such as Fuji or Honeycrisp (5 large apples), peeled and sliced into ¼-inch thick wedges
- ¼ cup (52 g) plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
For serving
- Ice cream or whipped cream optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celcius).
Make the topping
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, salt and baking powder (be sure to break up any lumps of almond flour). In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, Domino® Golden Sugar, almond extract and butter. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir to combine (the batter will be quite thick). Set aside.
Make the filling and assemble
- Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples, and toss to coat (it will look like a lot of apples, but they will cook down). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup of the Domino® Golden Sugar, along with the cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and the juices are syrupy, 4-5 minutes longer.
- Turn off the heat and spread the apples in an even layer. Using an ice cream scoop (or you can use two spoons), scoop the shortcake topping over the fruit in 6 mounds. Use your fingers to flatten the mounds slightly. Brush the shortcakes with cream (you won't need all the cream) and sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1 teaspoon of Domino® Golden Sugar.
- Bake the cobbler until the shortcakes are golden brown, about 18-20 minutes. Serve the cobbler warm with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream, if you'd like.
Notes
Do Ahead: The cobbler can be baked up to 4 hours in advance (let it sit, uncovered, at room temperature). Reheat it gently on the stovetop until the apples are warmed through. Refrigerate any leftovers (p.s. the leftover cobbler makes for an awesome breakfast with plain yogurt!).
Tips:
- This cobbler gets assembled and baked in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, but you could use a regular ovenproof 10-inch skillet if you don’t have one.
- It’s important to use a crisp apple variety, such as Fuji, Honeycrisp or Granny Smith, which will hold its shape and not turn mushy.
- If you don’t have an ice cream scoop with a lever, you can use two spoons to scoop the shortcake dough over the cobbler. Be sure not to compress the dough too much, otherwise the biscuits could turn dense.
- Brushing the shortcakes with heavy cream helps them to brown, but you can use an egg wash instead (or you can skip this step, but the biscuits will be lighter in color).
- I recommend investing in an inexpensive kitchen scale, especially if you do a lot baking. It’s much more accurate (especially when measuring flours like almond flour), and it's easier too (no measuring cups needed!).