Watkins Family Apple Cobbler

Our family tradition, since way back to when I was too young to remember, is to bake in the winter. 

Our favorite thing to bake by far is our apple cobbler. Nothing is better than a warm dessert on a cold night with your family. Even waking up from a nap and smelling the familiar scent of apple cobbler sets the perfect mood for the season. Our family all agrees that our little traditions are important but this is the one that we look forward to the most. 

Every year around christmas we make our apple cobbler. We all enjoy helping out making the dish. I remember when we were younger, my and my brother’s favorite thing was to “taste test” the ingredients before they were put in to be mixed. I think what excited me the most as a child was the fact that we could turn apples into something so delicious.

The warm apple inside steals the love of everyone’s taste buds after their first bite. The cinnamon flavors dance with the apple flavors in the most satisfying way in your mouth. You can’t help but let out a “mmm” as all the flavors come together in some sort of congo line. The ingredients melting on your tongue always leaves you craving for another bite. You tend to get caught up in the “just one more bite” and before you know it, you’re unbuttoning your jeans for more room so come prepared!

Hand making the cobbler always plays a significant role in getting that authentic taste. Personally putting all the ingredients together gives you the opportunity to perfect something as beautiful as apple cobbler, knowing the recipe ensures that no flavor overpowers another flavor too violently. It’s important that each flavor balances out perfectly because that’s what makes the whole thing amazing.

Personally, my favorite part is the crust. The buttery outer shell never fails to impress. The difference between pie crust and cobbler crust is very noticeable. Pies have a hard and flaky crust that falls apart. My family simply doesn’t enjoy that, so we usually just throw it away. Cobbler crusts are always soft and fluffy and welcoming to the mouth. The fluffiness is what gets me hooked. It’s like cake and pie mixed but even better. It’s to die for. There’s never a bite left on the plate after getting a piece of cobbler.

Cobbler Ingredients

Butter, or nonstick spray for pan

2 1/2 cups of sliced apples

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice 

1/4 teaspoon of table salt

4 tablespoons of softened butter, separated into two 

Topping Ingredients 

1/2 cup of self rising flour

1/2 cup of sugar 

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450F. Butter or spray a 9-by-9 inch baking dish.

Put all of your cobbler ingredients, excluding two of your tablespoons of butter, together in a bowl and mix well. Once finished, place the mixture in the baking dish and then dot with the rest of the butter.

In another bowl combine our ingredients for the topping. With a spoon, spread the second mixture on top of the first mixture and pat it down. 

Bake until the crust is golden and the fruit is soft for 40-45 mins.

Serve. It’s best with ice cream on the top.