Winter Cranberry Apple Cobbler with Molasses Crust
Winter cranberry apple cobbler with molasses crust- This winter inspired cobbler is made with tart fresh cranberries, chunks of sweet honey crisp apples, lots of winter spices and baked with a warm molasses crust. The perfect food to warm up with on a frigid cold day.
Today’s post is another ooey gooey cobbler recipe! I don’t know how you feel on the subject but cobblers are always in season at our house. This particular winter cobbler is featuring seasonal cranberries and a warm gingerbread inspired crust.
When I started brainstorming a winter cobbler, I knew I wanted it to have the pop of tart cranberries; and I thought what better fruit to pair with the cranberries than sweet honey crisp apples. The fruit is coated in brown sugar, cinnamon and a little pomegranate juice to add even more flavor. I also wanted to do something winter inspired for everyone’s favorite part, the crust. For this delicious topping, we’re going to add in the warming flavors of molasses and allspice to make it feel extra special.
This winter cranberry and apple cobbler will be the first thing to go during the upcoming holiday months.
So let’s get into it!
How to make this winter cranberry apple cobbler with a molasses crust
Gather the ingredients
Cranberries- I chose to use fresh cranberries because they are easy to find during the winter months. If you have a bag of frozen cranberries in the freezer, just take them out to thaw about an hour before you’re ready to make the cobbler. Make sure to drain off the extra liquid.
Apples- I like to use honey crisp apples for this recipe to help balance out the tartness of the cranberries.
Pomegranate or orange juice- You will only need a small amount of this for the fruit mixture so whichever juice you have on hand will work perfectly.
Butter- For the butter we are going to brown it to give an extra warm flavor to the cobbler. If you’re not sure how to brown butter, check down below for the simple instructions!
Brown sugar
Cane sugar
Unsulfured molasses- I prefer to use the brand Grandma’s for this recipe but any unsulfured molasses will work.
Cinnamon
All spice
Flour- I use all purpose flour for this recipe.
Baking powder
Milk- Any milk will work; dairy or non dairy.
Optional: coarse sugar for topping the crust. Totally optional but super delicious!
Begin by prepping the fruit mixture. I like to peel the apples when making cobbler but feel free to skip this step if your family prefers the peel on. Core and dice the apples small. Then, in a large bowl, add cranberries, diced apples, pomegranate juice, both sugars and cinnamon. Mix this together and let it sit while you prep the rest of the cobbler.
Next make the batter. In another large bowl, add flour, both sugars, molasses, milk, and allspice. Mix together until no flour shows.
It’s time to brown the butter! You can skip this step if you’re short on time but it really does make a difference in the flavor.
How to brown the butter: In an oven safe skillet, add the butter and set the pan on the stove top. Turn the heat on medium low and allow the butter to slowly melt. After the butter melts, it will slowly start to bubble up. Gently stir the butter while it bubbles until it turns a golden brown color. This usually takes 3-5 minutes. Once the butter is golden brown and smells nutty, it’s done!
After the butter has browned, we can assemble the cobbler. Add half of the cobbler batter to the pan of brown butter, then top with the cranberry apple mixture and spoon on the remaining cobbler batter. If you are using the coarse sugar topping, sprinkle that on now.
Bake the cobbler until golden brown and bubbly!
Looking for more?
Southern Double Crust Blackberry Cobbler
Easy Bourbon Brown Butter Peach Cobbler
Before you go, if you make this winter cranberry and apple cobbler, rate and/or comment down below. I’d love to hear what you think!
Winter Cranberry Apple Cobbler with Molasses Crust
Equipment
- Oven safe skillet or pan such as cast iron pan
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups fresh cranberries
- 2 medium honey crisp apples
- 2 TBSP pomegranate juice or orange juice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Cobbler Batter
- 1 stick salted butter
- 1 cup AP flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses like Grandma’s brand
- 2/3 cup milk or milk alternative
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp all spice
- sprinkle of coarse cane sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Start by coring and dicing the honey crisp apples into bite sized pieces. I like to peel the apples as well but that is totally optional.
- Into a large bowl, add the diced apples, cranberries, pomegranate juice, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar and cinnamon. Toss together until all the fruit is covered and set the bowl aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, start to make the batter. Add the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, molasses, milk, baking powder and all spice. Stir together until mixed well. If there are some lumps in the batter, that’s ok. Set the bowl aside.
- In an oven safe skillet over medium low heat, add the stick of butter. Allow the butter to melt slowly and start to bubble. Once the butter is bubbling, stir slowly until it turns golden brown. It’s important to gently stir the butter frequently to keep it from burning. You know when the butter has been browned once golden brown solids have formed on the bottom of the pan and the butter smells nutty. This takes about 3-5 minutes.
- Once the butter has browned, it’s time to assemble. Pour half of the cobbler batter into the hot skillet of brown butter. Then, top with the cranberry apple mixture. Finish with spoonfuls of the remaining batter.Optional: Sprinkle on some coarse sugar on top of the cobbler batter for an extra crunchy topping.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes until the filling has set and the cobbler crust is golden brown with crispy edges.
