Desserts & Baking

What’s more romantic than spending a fall morning in the apple orchard? Baking your haul into a rustic cinnamon-scented cobbler. This 1999 grand-prize winner from our long-running Prize Tested Recipes contest has you simmer apples alongside dried tart cherries until plump and jammy, then tuck the mixture under a biscuit-like cornmeal topping that bakes up craggy and golden with plenty of crunch from pecans.

Ingredients

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. For topping, in a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, and 1/8 tsp. salt. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. In a small bowl stir together pecans, the 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp. of the cinnamon.

3. For filling, in a large saucepan combine apples, dried cherries, the 1/3 cup brown sugar, the lemon juice, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Cook over medium-high, stirring frequently, until apples release their juices and begin to boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are nearly tender, 5 minutes. In another small bowl stir 1/4 cup cold water into the cornstarch; stir into apple mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Keep hot.

4. Add half-and-half to topping mixture, stirring just until moistened. Transfer hot filling to an ungreased 2-qt. rectangular or square baking dish. Drop spoonfuls of topping mixture over filling. Sprinkle pecan mixture over topping mixture.

5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into filling comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm. If you like, drizzle with additional half-and-half.