Homemade Sour Cherry Cobbler

This homemade sour cherry cobbler is mouthwateringly delicious, just like my 4th of July Cherry Pie! Bursting with cherry flavor, it’s amazing right out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but it’s equally tasty served cold. And, as always, I’ll give you plenty of substitutions so you can put your own spin on it.

Sour cherries aren’t the easiest fruit to find at your local farmers’ market. However, when we moved to our small Ohio town, I was thrilled to be able to hunt them down and order them from a local garden nursery. I’ve been a loyal cherry-buying customer of theirs for years now. They sell the cherries in large buckets, and I freeze a bunch to enjoy throughout the year. I recommend that you try to find a local source because they can be pricy! If you have no luck, you can use Morello cherries as a stand-in. They can be found in jars or cans at your local grocery store or on Amazon here. Just make sure you purchase them packed in water, not syrup.

Although making the recipe will go faster if you use a food processor to make the topping, you can totally whip it all together in a bowl with a wooden spoon, too.

What’s in this Homemade Sour Cherry Cobbler?

This cobbler filling is a delight, friends! In addition to the sour cherries, you’ll use granulated sugar, a little cornstarch for thickening, some dry red wine, cinnamon, and a tad of almond extract. The almond extract is the magic ingredient in this recipe, and the sugar adds some sparkle and sweetness to the biscuits.

The topping is a mix of flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder, a bit of salt, melted butter, and buttermilk. Once you make this topping, you won’t want to go back to that weird, chemical-laden biscuit dough that pops out of tubes. Besides, that stuff scares you silly, right?

Tips to Make This Cherry Cobbler

It’s important to partially bake the biscuits before you put them on the topping. I’ve been disappointed way too many times by biscuits that aren’t baked all the way through, or that get soggy. The beauty of this recipe is that they’re also freeform. The dough is sticky so just scoop some up in a quarter cup measuring cup and use a knife or small spatula to help guide the dough onto your baking sheet. Also, when you make the filling, be patient with the thickening. Once the filling is almost boiling, you will notice that it will develop rich, red coloring and the cinnamon that appears to be floating on top will blend in completely. Don’t rush this gel step because you’ll be disappointed with a runny filling!

What About Substitutions?

Although I consider this cobbler to be a splurge recipe, I know my readers all have different health issues or concerns. Therefore, here’s a handy list of substitutions.

Gluten intolerant? Swap a gluten-free alternative flour. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill brand. 

Do you follow a vegan diet? Swap melted coconut oil for the butter and unsweetened almond milk for the buttermilk.

No red wine handy? That’s fine. The flavor will be a bit different, but it will still be delicious!

Ingredients

Topping

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, cut into equal-sized pieces
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

Filling

• 5 cups sour cherries, pitted and drained (save juice)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 cup of dry red wine
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Step One

Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and heat your oven to 425 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat liner.

Step Two

Make the biscuit topping by pulsing flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food processor until combined. Scatter butter pieces over the top and pulse or stir until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Transfer to a large bowl and add buttermilk and stir until combined. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces, each about a 1/4 cup in size, and place on your baking sheet, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar evenly over the biscuits and bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.

Step Three

Strain the cherries over a large measuring cup or mixing bowl, saving the juice.

Make the filling by arranging cherries in an even layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir in reserved cherry juice, wine, and cinnamon. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in almond extract and pour the hot liquid over the cherries.

Step 4

Arrange hot biscuits in 3 rows of 4 biscuits over the warm filling.

Place baking dish on an aluminum foil rimmed baking sheet and bake until filling is bubbling and biscuits are a deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

You can enjoy this homemade sour cherry cobbler served warm with ice cream on top. However, it’s just as tasty the next day. But I don’t think you’ll have any! If you make this recipe, let me know what you think in the comments! I read and respond to them all.

More Desserts I Think You’ll Love!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Double Crumb Crust Apple Pie

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Bars