A forever family favorite, this recipe recipe combines sugared and spiced plums with a sweet and crisp cookie crust for the perfect combination of sweet and tart. You have to serve it with vanilla ice cream, it is the law.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
If you can find Santa Rosa plums, they are the best, but plain old grocery store plums are good, too. I like the filling to be a little bit tart to complement the sweetness of the topping. But if you like things sweeter, you can increase the sugar to half a cup.
If you’d like to double this recipe, it will bake up very nicely in a 9×13 pan. You can use the 2x button in the recipe card and it will do the math for you. As written, it will fit perfectly in a quiche dish or pie plate.
Plum Cobbler Filling
- 3 cups sliced plums (about 6-7 plums, not overly ripe)
- ⅓ cup sugar, you can increase to ½ cup if you prefer sweeter
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cookie Dough Topping
- ½ cup softened butter (1 stick)
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
How to Make
Getting Started
Preheat your oven to 375℉ with the rack in the center position. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place it on the bottom rack to catch any drips during baking.
Preparing the Plum Filling
Slice your plums into even pieces… you don’t need to peel them. Choose plums that have some firmness rather than very ripe ones, which can become too soft during baking.
Combine the sliced plums, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. The cornstarch will thicken the fruit juices as they release during baking. Pour the mixture into your 8 or 9-inch baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. This pre-baking step allows the fruit to release its juices and the cornstarch to begin thickening.
Making the Cookie Dough Topping
While the filling bakes, prepare your topping. Beat the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. This creates the tender texture you want in the finished topping.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla, beating for another minute. Gently mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined. Don’t overmix.
Assembly and Final Baking
Remove the hot filling from the oven and drop spoonfuls of cookie dough on top.
You don’t need complete coverage – gaps allow steam to escape and they look pretty.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until the topping is golden brown. If it’s over-browning at around 30 minutes, cover it with foilFor extra texture, sprinkle coarse sugar on top halfway through baking.
Cooling and Serving
Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving to allow the filling to set properly.
Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover cobbler covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can enjoy it cold straight from the fridge, or warm individual portions in the microwave for 30-45 seconds The topping will soften slightly after the first day, but it’s still delicious.
This doesn’t freeze particularly well since the fruit releases more moisture when thawed, making the topping soggy.
A Cobbler for All Seasons
It’s my favorite dessert, and soon it will be yours.
- Winter: cranberry cobbler or triple berry cobbler with frozen berries
- Spring: strawberry rhubarb cobbler
- Summer: blackberry cobbler or peach cobbler
- Fall: caramel apple cobbler or pear cobbler
Printable Recipe
Grandma’s Plum Cobbler
Ingredients
Plum Cobbler Filling
- 3 cups sliced plums about 6-7 plums (not overly ripe)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Cookie Dough Topping
- ½ cup softened butter (1 stick)
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch salt
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Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 375℉ with rack in the center. Cover a baking sheet in foil (to catch drips).
- Combine and bake filling. Combine the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl and pour into an 8 or 9 inch square or round baking dish. Cover with foil and bake (just the filling!) for 20 minutes to release juices and thicken the filling.
- Make topping. While the filling is heating, prepare the topping. Beat the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat 1 minute more. Add the dry ingredients and gently blend until just combined.
- Add topping and bake. Remove hot filling from oven and drop cookie dough on top by the tablespoonful. Bake again for 40-50 minutes, until topping is golden brown.
- Cool and serve. Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. You can serve warm or cool and it's best with vanilla ice cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Love,
I made this without the pre-baking of the plums and it turned out just fine. Really liked the flavor!
hey Michelle, okay that’s good to know. maybe I’ll try it on a hot day.
My first real cobbler to make, and it was a hit with the picky hubby! Think I’ll triple it next time lol!
hi! i’m so glad! 🙂
I was impressed with myself and this recipe. the cobbler is/was delicious. I myself am not this biggest fan of cobbler in general but I had a bag of tart plums that my kids would not touch and I didn’t want them to go to waste. I found thus recipe and the results were/are amazing. I also now have a new dessert to make for church potluck events that I know will get eaten and loved by all.
Hey Kristle! Thanks so much for letting me know this :). It doubles great in a 9×13 too. And yes the BEST thing for tart plums.
this was absolutely divine! i made it a couple days ago and it was gone in an hour. compliments from everyone. im new to baking and this recipe was so simple and so delicious. will absolutely be making this again!
hi zoe! so glad you liked the cobbler. don’t let anyone trick you into trying any other topping varieties, this one is the best! 🙂
Just curious if the pan is supposed to be greased or not? Anyways, I have the filling and cookie dough top made — just waiting for the oven! I’m excited to try the cobbler.
hey, no need to grease the pan! the fruit will scoop right out.
Husband loves this cobbler! Easy substitute with different fruits ♥️
Thank you Melanie!!! Yes isn’t the topping the best!
Made this for a Labor Day cookout and it was a hit! The cookie top reminded me of the cobbler they used to make at my school. Added a sprinkle of sugar to the top halfway through as suggested for an extra crunch. The only suggestion I have is to find a different way to list the amount of sliced plums needed for this recipe. I was using larger black plums and I only used 4, which yielded a little over 4 cups of sliced plums. Because plums vary in size, maybe list the amount in lbs or ounces that works across all sizes and varieties? Anyway, I eyeballed it and made it work. I did use about a 1/2 Tablespoon of additional thickener (cornstarch/flour) to make up for the increase in plums. I can’t believe how well it worked and how easy it was to cook down the filling first and add more thickener as needed before spooning on the top crust. It came out rustic looking and golden brown. All our friends raved and this recipe is now going in my bookmarks. Thank you!
kristy I’m so glad you liked the cobbler! I’m making it this weekend and I’ll measure how many I use in ounces, great idea!
Yummy! This looks really delicious!
This looks so good! Love the video! Will have to try this soon!