Fresh cherries are a summer treasure, and what better way to celebrate them than with a warm, comforting cherry cobbler? This recipe, reminiscent of the Pioneer Woman’s style, is incredibly easy to follow and perfect for using those juicy, ripe cherries. If you’re looking for a straightforward dessert that delivers big on flavor, this cherry cobbler is it.
Ingredients:
- 4 Tablespoons melted butter, plus extra for greasing the skillet
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar (for topping or tossing with cherries)
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups pitted fresh cherries
Instructions:
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Prep the Skillet: Start by generously buttering a 12-inch cast iron skillet. This will give your cobbler a lovely crispy edge as it bakes.
Buttered cast iron skillet for cherry cobbler -
Melt Butter in Skillet: In the buttered skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. You can do this on the stovetop over low heat or in the oven as it preheats.
Melting butter in a cast iron skillet for Pioneer Woman cherry cobbler -
Combine Sugar and Melted Butter: Add 1 cup of sugar to the melted butter in the skillet. This sugary base will caramelize beautifully as the cobbler bakes.
Adding sugar to melted butter for a homemade cherry cobbler recipe -
Add Milk: Pour 1 cup of milk into the skillet with the sugar and butter mixture.
Pouring milk into the skillet for Pioneer Woman style cherry cobbler -
Incorporate Self-Rising Flour: Measure 1 cup of self-rising flour and add it to the skillet. It’s crucial to use self-rising flour for the right texture; it contains baking powder and salt already.
Adding self rising flour to make a simple cherry cobbler batter -
Mix Batter: Whisk or stir the ingredients together until well combined. The batter will be quite thin.
Mixing the batter for an easy fresh cherry cobbler -
Pour Batter into Skillet: Pour the prepared batter evenly into the buttered cast iron skillet.
Pouring batter into the skillet for homemade cherry cobbler -
Add Pitted Cherries: Distribute 2 cups of pitted fresh cherries evenly over the batter in the skillet. Pitting cherries can be time-consuming, but a cherry pitter makes quick work of it, especially if you bake with cherries often.
Adding pitted fresh cherries to the cobbler batter in a skillet -
Sprinkle with Sugar: Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar over the top of the cherries. For a slightly different flavor, you could toss the cherries in this sugar before placing them on the batter.
Sprinkling sugar over the cherries before baking the cobbler -
Bake: Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 50-60 minutes, or until the cobbler is golden brown and bubbly.
Baking the fresh cherry cobbler in the oven -
Optional Sugar Topping (Not Recommended): The original recipe suggests sprinkling an additional 2 teaspoons of sugar on top after 50 minutes and baking for another 10 minutes. However, as noted, this extra sugar doesn’t significantly change the texture or flavor, so it can be skipped.
Cherry cobbler after baking, ready to serve -
Serve Warm: Let the cherry cobbler cool slightly, then serve it warm. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is the perfect complement to this delightful dessert. Enjoy this simple and delicious Pioneer Woman-inspired fresh cherry cobbler!
