This sourdough apple cobbler is the perfect healthy apple treat for fall. With no white sugar, fermented grains, and whole ingredients, it can be served for both breakfast and dessert.
Ever since I started making my sourdough skillet, a one-pot meal filled with savory meats, veggies, and herbs, and topped with a sourdough bread mixture, I’ve wondered what a sweet version would taste like.
This apple cobbler version took a little tinkering, but the end result is so worth it! Filled with fresh apples, sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, your tastebuds will thank you.
This delicious recipe is perfect for dessert. Top it with a scoop of my date sweetened ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Sourdough discard – If you are a sourdough baker, you probably have some extra discard you need to use up. This is a great recipe for that, and it adds a nice depth of flavor to this apple dessert.
Fresh apple recipe – I love to make this in late summer and early fall. It is so yummy with freshly picked apples from the orchards that are all over in the fall.
Easy – This easy apple cobbler recipe is so simple and requires basic pantry staples and fifteen minutes to throw together. This makes it a perfect sweet treat to have ready to serve in no time.
Sourdough Apple Cobbler Ingredients
Sourdough starter – New to sourdough? Check out my post on how to make a sourdough starter to learn how to make your own.
Flour – All purpose flour is used in this recipe, but you can also use whole grain wheat flour or einkorn.
Butter or neutral oil – You can use butter or neutral oil for the sourdough topping.
Baking powder – While some sourdough recipes use the sourdough starter as the leavening agent, this one relies on baking powder. This helps to keep it a quick and easy recipe.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Sourdough Apple Cobbler
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and dice 7-10 medium apples. Add the apples and butter to a 12″ cast iron pan. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 2: Meanwhile, make the sourdough topping. In a small bowl whisk the sourdough starter, eggs, maple syrup, baking powder and butter. Set aside.
Step 3: When the apples in the cast iron skillet are cooked, but not yet soft, add the maple syrup, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Step 4: Cook an additional two minutes, until the apple juices and syrup have thickened.
Step 5: Pour the sourdough topping over the apples and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.
Step 6: It tastes best warm, so serve immediately.
Tips
- Opt for crisp apples like honey crisp or granny smith. These hold up better when baking.
- If you are peeling and cutting the apples ahead of time, soak the slices in one cup of water mixed with a tablespoon of lemon juice to keep them from browning.
- If you don’t have a cast iron pan, cook the apples in a separate pan and add to a baking dish once they are done cooking. Proceed to top with the sourdough topping and bake.
Recipe FAQs
Cobblers are usually made with a more cake or biscuit like topping or batter. Crumbles are usually made with a crunchier streusel topping including rolled oats.
This sourdough apple cobbler will keep at room temperature for two days, or up to one week covered in the refrigerator.
When baking, opt for harder, more crisp apples such as honey crisp, granny smith, and fuji. These types hold up better in baking as opposed to softer apples.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Blueberry Pancakes
- Sourdough Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Quick Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls
- The Easiest Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe
- Easy Sourdough Discard Blondies
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
The Best Cinnamon Maple Sourdough Apple Cobbler
Video
Ingredients
Apple Pie Filling
- 7-10 medium apples
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
Sourdough Topping
- 1.5 cups sourdough starter
- 3 eggs
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons butter, or a neutral oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Peel and dice 7-10 medium apples.
- Add the apples and butter to a cast iron skillet. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Meanwhile mix up the sourdough topping by combining all of the ingredients in a separate bowl.
- When the apples in the cast iron skillet are cooked, but not yet soft, add the maple syrup, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Cook an additional two minutes, until the apple juices and syrup have thickened.
- Pour the sourdough topping over the apples.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.
- It tastes best warm, so serve immediately.
Notes
- Opt for crisp apples like honey crisp or granny smith. These hold up better when baking.
- If you are peeling and cutting the apples ahead of time, soak the slices in one cup of water mixed with a tablespoon of lemon juice to keep them from browning.
- If you don’t have a cast iron pan, cook the apples in a separate pan and add to a baking dish once they are done cooking. Proceed to top with the sourdough topping and bake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious!!! I topped one of the pies with Pecan, drizzled a bit of caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Huge hit with friends and family😄
That sounds amazing!
Yum! Made this yesterday for breakfast and finished it this morning. Very easy and delicious. I forgot to add the flour and cinnamon and maple syrup but it wasn’t too soupy without the flour, and I just added some syrup and cinnamon over the top when serving. Also a drizzle of raw cream is very good with it!
Sounds yummy!
I made this recipe a few years ago when I started buying apples for apple sauce. It was delicious. However I don’t think I used 3 eggs as I thought that was too many. I’m wondering why the recipe calls for 3 instead of 2 or 1?
Trouble shooting question:
I made this for breakfast today. While I thought the flavour and texture were good, the cast-iron skillet made the acidity of the apples taste like metal. Any tips to avoid weird metallic taste?
Hmm. Is your cast iron well seasoned or newer pan? I’ve heard of this happening if there isn’t enough seasoning.
This was great! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe! Two things I noted: 1. I used my starter that actually hadn’t been fed in a couple days and it still did fine(though I’m sure maybe not the same fermented health benefits.) 2. I found that the serving size was quite large and if anybody is looking at the nutrients and thinking oh man that’s a lot of fat, then be encouraged; I had just half a serving and still felt like I had eaten a nice desert! 🙂
Using discard means the grains have been fermented already, so it totally does have health benefits! Yay! Glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Hi Lisa:
We can’t wait to make this! I have some rhubarb that I picked before we get a freeze and thinking thisxwould be awesome with it & some berries too! Our big VT apple season starts in a couple if weeks.
When does the sourdough go in or does it go on the top before baking? My internet isn’t populating the photos. Thank you.
By sourdough starter, does it have to be fed prior? Or can it be discard?
I usually use fed, but you can also use discard.
Do you think this would work with fresh peaches?
Yes. You can also try this yummy sourdough peach cobbler.
I started making your sourdough dinner skillet, and the first time I did had me wanting to make a sweet version! Then I just happened to stumble across this which was exactly what I was thinking to make! Glad I looked too because the crust is a little different than the dinner one. Thanks for the recipe I’m excited to try it 😊
No flour? Its been in for 10 minutes and its still soup. did I do something wrong? Just confused on the no flour idea
Opps !!! My apologies …..all is well….didnt know it was magic…lol. Cant wait to try it….just didnt wait long enough to let it bake