Sugar-Crusted Apple Cobbler

A friend got this recipe in the mail, originally adapted from a King Arthur Baker’s recipe. It received rave reviews from a group of taste tester houseguests.

Ingredients

• 4 medium to large baking apples, peeled, cored and slice 1/4 ” thick (about 6 cups) (650g)
• 2 Tbsp (28g) lemon juice or (43g) boiled cider, optional (prefer lemon juice)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 8 Tbsp (113g) unsalted butter
• 1 cup (198g) sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup (113g) buttermilk or plain yogurt
• 1 cup (120g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 – 2 Tbsp (14g to 28g) water

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Lightly grease an 8″square or 9″round pan
• Toss the apples with lemon juice (or boiled cider). Place the apples in the prepared pan, pressing them into an even layer. Set aside.
• Beat together the butter and 1/2 cup (99g) of the sugar in a medium mixing bowl, until smooth and creamy.
• Add the buttermilk (or yogurt), flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla, then beat again until smooth.
• Spoon the batter (it should be stiff) over the apples in the pan, using a spatula to spread it into an even layer all the way to the edges of the pan.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup (99g) sugar over the batter as evenly as possible. Use a small spoon to drizzle/splash the water onto the sugar, letting it soak in; the goal is to get the sugar wet.
• Bake the cobbler for 35 to 40 minutes, until the surface is golden and crispy and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake topping comes out clean. (may take longer to 10 – 15 minutes to cook)
• Remove the cobbler from the oven and place it on a rack to cool and set for about 30 minutes; the topping will settle during this time.
• Serve the cobbler warm, with or without vanilla ice cream.
• Cover leftover cobbler and store at room temperature. Reheat in a warm 300F oven for 10 to 20 minutes. Refrigerate any leftovers.