Prep dish. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Add the melted butter to a 9x13-inch baking dish (you can also place a stick of butter in the dish and let it melt in the preheating oven, removing it as soon as it's melted).
Mix filling. In a large bowl, mix the pitted cherries with ½ cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and the optional almond extract. Set this mixture aside.
Mix topping. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ¾ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and gradually stir in the milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth, pulling in a little more of the flour mixture with each stir.
Pour in batter. Pour the batter over the melted butter in the baking dish without stirring.
Spoon filling on top. Spoon the cherry mixture evenly over the batter. Do not mix them together—the cobbler will self-layer during baking.
Bake. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the topping is golden and slightly crisp and the cherry juices are bubbling around the edges. Let the cobbler cool for 15 minutes before serving.