Caramel Apple Snickerdoodle Cobbler
Sometimes, all you need is love. And sometimes, more often than not, all you need is a generous serving of caramel apple snickerdoodle cobbler. Really, it's amazing what healing properties and energy improving qualities a caramel apple snickerdoodle cobbler can have.
Try it. Try this one. Prepare to be amazed. Also come prepared with a tub of vanilla ice cream. So prepare for those two things, k?
Here was the thought process behind this snickerdoodle cobbler and the way this wonderful, wonderful creation came to be:
1 - I had never made a cobbler before in my entire life, let alone posted one on the blog, so I figured it was high time I gave one a go
2 - my sister-in-law sent me a photo of a cinnamon apple cobbler and begged me to make one for her
3 - The no-butter snickerdoodle cookies I've posted a while back are amazing, so why not top an apple cobbler with blobs of that snickerdoodle cookie dough, because apple and cinnamon = timeless, awesome combo
4 - I have an obsession with brown butter
5 - why not transform my no-butter snickerdoodle cookies into brown butter snickerdoodle cookies, since the cobbler would be dairy anyway because I had to sauté the apples in butter
5 - How about an apple cobbler where I sauté the apples in a brown butter caramel and then top the brown butter caramel apples with a brown butter snickerdoodle cookie dough to form an out-of-this-world caramel apple snickerdoodle cobbler????!!!!
So there you have it. And no, I don't think I overdid it with the brown butter. I don't think I have a problem. But I appreciate the concern, really, I do.
This snickerdoodle apple cobbler has a few steps to it, so let's break them down.
For the apple mixture:
First you brown some butter. While it's browning, you mix your apple slices with some lemon juice, sugar, and spices. Then you add your apple mixture into the pan with the browned butter and let it cook for a few minutes until the apples are softened. Once the apples are soft, you strain the liquid from the apples and place the liquid right back into your skillet and let it caramelize and reduce by half. And then you toss the reduced-by-half, caramelized, brown butter liquid back with your apples and pour the mixture into your baking pan.
And that part's done.
Now for the brown butter snickerdoodle cookies:
Brown some butter. Stir it with your sugars. Mix in the egg and vanilla extracts. Stir in the dry ingredients. Roll the dough into balls. Coat the balls in a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Distribute the dough on top of the apple mixture in the pan.
Then bake the cobbler.
And the whole thing's done.
Soft, caramelized, brown butter apple mixture that's slightly tangy and tart but also sweet and cinnamony and full of rich, butterscotch flavor.
Gooey, thick, dense, sweet, soft, chewy, pillowy, cinnamony, brown butter snickerdoodle cookies with slightly crispy edges, also full of rich, butterscotch flavor. Because they also have brown butter in them.
A spoonful of cold, soothing, milky, creamy vanilla ice cream with some hot caramel apple snickerdoodle cobbler just like the one you see below is about 60 minutes away. But you gotta get on it right now.
Go.
caramel apple snickerdoodle cobbler
Yield: 9x13 cobbler
Snickerdoodle Cookies:
1 stick butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups packed flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Caramel Apple Filling:
6 tart apples
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick butter
Snickerdoodle Cookies: In a light-colored skillet (so you can observe the browning), brown the butter: chop up butter and place into skillet over a medium flame. First, the butter will melt. Once butter melts, it will foam and bubble. Make sure to stir the butter every few seconds with a rubber spatula. After a few minutes, the bubbling will subside and golden specks will appear on the bottom of the pan and the butter will start smelling nutty. This means your butter is browned!
Remove skillet from flame right away and pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl to stop the cooking. Make sure to scrape in all the browned specks from the bottom of the pan. Warning: Butter should have golden/amber specks, not completely brown ones. If the butter is too browned, your cookies may have a burnt/bitter taste.
Let butter cool five minutes in the bowl and then stir in both sugars and mix well. Whisk in egg and vanilla extract vigorously. Add in the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt and stir till just combined.
Combine the 3 tablespoons of sugar with the teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll rounded tablespoons of the dough into the mixture, coating generously. Set aside.
Caramel Apple Filling: Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel apples, quarter, and then slice into thin wedges. Add to a medium bowl and stir with the lemon juice. Stir in the sugars and spices.
In the same skillet you used to brown the butter for the cookies, brown the 1/2 stick butter (see instructions above). Add the apple mixture into the skillet (or use another large skillet if first one is too small). Stir over a medium flame until liquid starts bubbling, about 2 minutes.
Lower flame, cover skillet, and cook till apples are softened, about 6 minutes. Once softened, place a colander over your mixing bowl and strain the apple mixture. Place the strained liquid back into skillet and simmer over a medium flame until liquid is lightly caramelized and reduced by half, about 12 minutes. Toss the caramelized mixture back with the apples.
Pour apple mixture into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Drop your tablespoons of snickerdoodle dough on top of the apples evenly. Spoon the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture over the cobbler.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cookies are golden and beginning to crack on top.
Serve warm with ice cream if desired.
