Chocolate Cherry Cobbler
A warm, comforting chocolate cherry dessert made in a 9x9 pan. Features a stovetop tart cherry filling (or store-bought) topped with a simple, scratch-made chocolate batter that bakes into a fudgy, brownie-like crust.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
The Cherry Filling:
- 1 (16-oz) bag frozen cherries Note 1
- ¾ cup sugar Note 2
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ tsp almond extract Use more or less to taste. ¼ teaspoon is the maximum my family tolerates 😅
The Chocolate Topping:
- ⅔ cup flour
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup milk
- 3 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Prep: Heat the oven to 350°F (if your oven preheats quickly, you can start it once the cherry filling is done.) Spray a 9x9 inch baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Cook cherries: Combine the cherries and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook gently over medium heat until the cherries have released their juices and the sugar has melted, about 8-10 minutes (Note 3).1 (16-oz) bag frozen cherries, ¾ cup sugar
- Thicken filling: Whisk together the cornstarch and water, then stir into the cherries. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened and the juices are no longer looking milky, but glossy, and thickened (Note 4). Stir through the almond extract and set aside in your prepared baking dish to cool slightly.2 tablespoons cornstarch, ⅓ cup water, ¼ tsp almond extract
- Make topping: For the topping, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Stir through milk and melted butter just until moistened.⅔ cup flour, ⅔ cup sugar, ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, pinch of salt, ½ cup milk, 3 tablespoons melted butter
- Assemble: Evenly dollop the chocolate batter on top of the cherry filling. Do not stir! (Note 5)
- Bake and serve: Immediately place the dish in your hot oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cobbler is bubbly, the filling is coming up a little around the edges and the top looks crackly. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving, to allow the juices to settle.Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, vanilla sauce… Whatever you like best!
Notes
- Note 1: I prefer tart red for the brightest color, but mixed or dark work - they just won’t be so vibrant.
- Note 2: If your cherries are a bit tart, or you like sweeter fillings - use 1 cup sugar. Just taste the filling and add more sugar as needed before baking the cobbler.
- Note 3: Take care that you cook this gently, else the sugar and the cherries will scorch.
- Note 4: When you cook the filling with the cornstarch, make sure to stick to a gentle simmer and don’t walk away - if you overcook it or boil it too hard, you can get lumps that won’t go away.
- Note 5: I use an ice cream scoop for this, to get the batter distributed evenly. You want to add it in dollops all over the top of the cherries, if you dump too much of it in a single spot, it will sink into the cherries and we want to avoid that.