Sheet Pan

Spiced Plum Cobbler

by:
July 11, 2013
3.7
7 Ratings
Spiced Plum Cobbler
Photo by James Ransom
  • Makes Four 8-ounce ramekins
Author Notes

Cobbler is so simple to make, it's absolutely delicious, and it's good any season of the year. Of course, using the bounty of summer's wonderful produce is one of the best ways to enjoy this rustic American treat. I used plums, blood plums to be exact, spiced gently with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, and topped it with a tender crust with a little cornmeal for texture. Enjoy with ice cream or just plain heavy cream poured right over. —sdebrango

Test Kitchen Notes

Plum delicious is my assessment of this easy cobbler that combines plums, spices, and a topping of buttery, cornmeal-infused batter. Perhaps it was the addition of sour cream to the batter that added to the richness of the dish, but it meant that the cobbler was great even without ice cream or a whipped cream topping. The whole dessert was easy to assemble. Warm out of the oven, spicy plums riffed off of the rich and sugary topping. The only change I would make is to add a bit of cornstarch to the sugar added to the plums. My plums were very juicy and could have benefited from a little thickener. —lakelurelady

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 6 large ripe plums sliced into approximately 1/2-inch slices
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cups brown or turbinado sugar (amount depends on how sweet you like it and how sweet the plums are)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • Pinch of salt
  • For the crust:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar + a little more to sprinkle on top of each cobbler
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter in tbs size pieces
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup cold milk
Directions
  1. Combine sliced plums with sugar and spices, stir, and set aside. Preheat oven to 375° F.
  2. Place dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, add the butter, and work it into the dry ingredients with your hands or a pastry cutter until it resembles pea-sized crumbs. Add the sour cream and milk, and stir just to combine.
  3. Spoon your plums into ramekins, then spread enough of the dough on top to cover the fruit. Sprinkle with a little brown sugar (optional). Place ramekins on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly.
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sdebrango
I have loved to cook for as long as I can remember, am self taught learning as I go. I come from a large Italian family and food was at the center of almost every gathering. My grandfather made his own wine and I remember the barrels of wine in the cellar of my grandfathers home, I watched my mother and aunts making homemade pasta and remember how wonderful it was to sit down to a truly amazing dinner. Cooking for me is a way to express myself its my creative outlet. I enjoy making all types of food but especially enjoy baking, I live in Brooklyn, NY, and I share my home with my two dogs Izzy and Nando. I like to collect cookbooks and scour magazines and newspapers for recipes. I hope one day to organize them.

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24 Reviews

biev
biev October 7, 2024
I tried to follow the recipe exactly, but I ended up with a bunch of fruit pieces in watery liquid with some tough dough on top that was very unpleasant to eat. It seems others managed to get good results, so I must have messed something up, but I can't think of what that would be. I've made lots of cobblers before, and never had this sort of issue.
 
sdebrango
sdebrango October 7, 2024
Hi Biev; I’m so sorry it did not work for you. I don’t know what could have happened that would cause this to happen. I am so sorry it didn’t work for you.
 
Kirsten L.
Kirsten L. August 22, 2019
Mine is in the oven now with a couple of substitutions because I couldn't wait for a shopping trip: plain low-fat yogurt for the sour cream and half and half instead of milk since that's what I had in the house. I also made it in a round Pyrex baking dish. I'l know after my guests taste it at tomorrow lunch. I'm not very worried, tho, because I love this site and the great recipes can often survive substitutions. Watch this space! ;)
 
sdebrango
sdebrango August 23, 2019
Please let me know how it is! Thanks for trying. This is one of my favorites and your subs I’m sure will be perfect! You can use any fruit you like I have mixed peaches and plums and it’s good. Thank you so much!
 
Kathleen P.
Kathleen P. July 1, 2015
Hi,
This sounds really good! Can you adapt it for one big cobbler rather than the individual ramekins? I guess a square cake pan or 13x9 pan? Oh, and will white cornmeal work as well as yellow?
 
Kathleen P.
Kathleen P. July 3, 2015
Thanks! I need to go buy some more plums! Sounds so good.
 
EmilyC
EmilyC August 1, 2013
Congrats on the CP, Suzanne, I loved this dessert from the moment I saw it. I can't wait to try it once I get my hands on some good plums!
 
Kukla
Kukla August 1, 2013
Congratulations on the CP Suzanne!!! It's another wonderful recipe!I also love to use sour cream in batters and even in pastry dough.
 
foxeslovelemons
foxeslovelemons August 1, 2013
Congrats on the CP, Suzanne! Very much deserved! Now, I must find some blood plums...because I'm sure they taste much better than they sound :)
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian August 1, 2013
Congrats on the CP Suzanne!!! I've got this save to make it soon!
 
lapadia
lapadia August 1, 2013
Congrats on the CP, Suzanne!
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames August 1, 2013
Congrats, Suzanne, on the CP. And what a drop-dead gorgeous photo. This sounds like just our kind of dessert. I often keep sour cream on hand for making scones when my boys are home; how clever to use it in the batter for this. I'm definitely putting it into the must-try-soon collection. Wonderful recipe. ;o) ;o)
 
lakelurelady
lakelurelady July 31, 2013
We enjoyed these individual plum cobblers with both whipped cream and ice cream. Yummy. The spices were just right and the crust was the best embellishment.
Thanks, Penny
 
Bevi
Bevi July 27, 2013
I made this yesterday. Delicious! The biscuit topping is so classy and flavorful. This is a topnotch recipe Suzanne; thanks for posting.
 
Bevi
Bevi August 1, 2013
Congrats on the CP! I made it a second time. We love it!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour July 18, 2013
My plum and pluot trees have lots of young fruit on them. Once they're ripe some of them will find their way into this gorgeous cobbler.
 
Bevi
Bevi July 27, 2013
Also very jealous, HLA!
 
QueenSashy
QueenSashy July 17, 2013
This is totally my favorite fruit-spice combination, love it!
 
drbabs
drbabs July 15, 2013
Love.
 
Niknud
Niknud July 15, 2013
I imagine it's good these are in individual bowls....much needed portion control. Because I can totally imagine 'just one more scoop-ing' myself with this until I couldn't feel my legs anymore!
 
lakelurelady
lakelurelady July 15, 2013
Plums and cornmeal. Two of my favorite ingredients. This has to be good.
 
em-i-lis
em-i-lis July 12, 2013
Ooh, this is right up my alley! I love this!
 
EmilyC
EmilyC July 12, 2013
These are lovely, Suzanne! Love the gentle spicing of the plums and the sour cream + cornmeal in the crust. Beautiful picture, too!
 
Lizthechef
Lizthechef July 11, 2013
Yummy. Sour cream in crust - very Hungarian - I'm half - and must give the crust a terrific flavor.