Peanut Butter Cookie Fruit Cobbler

Recipe by Molly Marzalek-Kelly
1 Review 4.0 out of 5 stars

In this creative, kid-friendly fruit cobbler, the usual biscuit topping is replaced with a quick and easy peanut butter cookie topping for a dish that delivers strong PB&J vibes. The fruit filling bakes first without the topping while you mix the cookie dough together, then you scoop the cookie dough on top and bake it a bit longer, just until the cookie topping is set. Use the fruit of your choice, but we especially like using peaches or nectarines and blackberries or raspberries. 

Prep
25 mins
Bake
55 mins to 1 hr 4 mins
Total
1 hr 45 mins
Yield
one 8" square or 2-quart casserole-sized cobbler
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Peanut Butter Cookie Fruit Cobbler - select to zoom
Peanut Butter Cookie Fruit Cobbler - select to zoom
Peanut Butter Cookie Fruit Cobbler - select to zoom
Peanut Butter Cookie Fruit Cobbler - select to zoom
Peanut Butter Cookie Fruit Cobbler - select to zoom

Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8" square pan or a 2-quart baking dish. 

  2. To make the fruit filling: In a large bowl, toss the fresh fruit with the lemon juice. 

  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, Instant ClearJel or cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon. Add to the fruit mixture and gently stir to combine. 

  4. Transfer the fruit mixture to the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling around the edges. While the fruit mixture bakes, prepare the cookie topping. 

  5. To make the cookie topping: In a medium bowl, combine the butter, peanut butter, sugars, and salt. Use a flexible spatula to stir the mixture until it’s smooth and slightly lighter in color.  

  6. Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and water; stir to combine.  

  7. Stir in the flour and baking soda, mixing until no dry spots remain. Cover the cookie dough and set aside. If it’s warm in your kitchen, place the covered cookie dough in the refrigerator while the fruit filling bakes.  

  8. Once the fruit filling is bubbling around the edges, remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack.  

  9. Portion the cookie dough into 1 1/2" balls; a rounded tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. You should have 9 to 10 balls of cookie dough. 

  10. Working on a small piece of parchment or on a lightly floured work surface, use the tines of a fork to flatten each ball of cookie dough to about 2 1/2" in diameter, making a crosshatch pattern. 

  11. Carefully arrange the cookies in an even layer on top of the hot fruit in the pan and return to the oven. Bake the cookie-topped fruit cobbler for 20 to 24 minutes, until the cookies are set in the middle and just starting to brown around the edges. 

  12. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. 

  13. Storage information: Store any leftover cobbler, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat at 350°F until warm; freezing is not recommended.  

Tips from our Bakers

  • Feel free to mix and match the varieties of fruit as you like! Large fruit, such as strawberries, cherries, peaches, and nectarines (peeled or unpeeled) should be diced into smaller pieces before using. Smaller fruits, such as blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and black raspberries can be used whole.  

  • Why is there a range of sugar? The sweetness of fresh fruit can vary from fruit to fruit, so we encourage you to first taste what you plan to use! Start with the lesser amount of sugar and increase from there, if necessary.  

  • To make individual peanut butter cookie fruit cobblers: Make a smaller batch of the fruit filling, using 4 cups (480g to 680g) fruit, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 4 to 6 tablespoons (50g to 74g) granulated sugar, 4 teaspoons Instant Clear Jel or 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Divide evenly among four mini pie plates and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until bubbling around the edges. While the fruit is baking, make the cookie dough as described above, portion it into 1 1/4" balls using a rounded teaspoon scoop, then place three dough balls on top of the hot fruit in each pan. Return to the oven and bake the mini cobblers for 12 to 16 minutes. (Bake the rest of the cookie dough separately at 375°F for 8 to 12 minutes — a baker's snack!) 

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