Of all the brightest and most invigorating desserts I can think of Easy Lemon Cobbler ranks the highest. Sweet and tart you will love this dessert!

lemon dessert on white plate white and red check napkin

Fruit filled pastries, in general, are sensational when you really get the filling right. Lemon filling in particular has something special. Just like any other lemon-infused treat, it provides the perfect balance of sweet and sour.

The natural tartness of the lemon gives the cobble it’s brightness. Once combined with sugar, vanilla, and other ingredients, the bite from the lemon’s acidity gives way to a much more rounded and pleasing taste.

Magic Lemon Cobbler

Lemon pie filling can be used for bars, pies, cookies, and virtually any other type of pastry. It’s very distinct compared with other fruit fillings, but also diverse in the number of potential applications. The biggest change in how you enjoy a lemon filled treat is in the style of crust. Therein lies the magic of a lemon cobbler.

Cobblers are different from other similar creations, but there are similarities too. Here are some tips for understanding cobbler and how to make it best, including substitutions and making your own pie filling. this is often called magic cobbler because pour the batter into a casserole dish with melted butter, add the pie filling on top, and while it bakes the lemon pie filling and the cobbler magically switch places.

This delicious lemon cobbler will feed six people on reasonable serving, or two to four people a sizeable serving for better enjoyment. It takes only a short time to make because all you have to prepare is the dough.

The baking time for the cobbler is 45 minutes. Let it cool for about a half-hour before serving and store leftovers (if there are any) in the fridge for up to 5 days. But who are we kidding it will never last that long!

PIN IT!!

Baked lemon cobbler on a white plate lemons and white and red napkin

How to make Easy Lemon Cobbler

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt. Add the sugar and whisk to combine. Pour in the buttermilk, vanilla extract, and lemon extract and whisk just until combined. Do not overmix.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the stick of butter in a 9×9-inch square baking dish and place it in the oven to melt for 3-4 minutes until fully melted. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Pour the batter evenly over the melted butter in the pan (do not stir).

Spoon the lemon pie filling over the batter.

Lemon filling added to mixture in white baking dish

Bake at 350F for 45-55 minutes until the edges of the cobbler are golden brown.

Lemon cobbler baked in a white baking dish

What Makes it a Cobbler?

Unlike other similar baked desserts made with pie filling (such as pie) cobbler is unique in that it has no bottom crust.

Some savory pies such as shepherd’s pie and pot pie also can be made without a bottom crust and are not called cobblers. These are exceptions to the rule and it’s debatable whether pot pie without a bottom crust actually counts.

Pie is a broad term with a lot of possible meanings and interpretations. Not so with cobblers. This very specific treat has distinctions that set it apart from not only pies but crumbles and crisps as well.

Each type of dessert uses a fruit filling, but the difference lies in the crust that tops it. Is it a streusel topping or a similar crumbled topping with crispy baked oats in the mixture? Cobbler is neither of these. It’s characterized by its thick top crust.

Although it has not been confirmed after over 150 years of speculation, the prevailing notion is that cobbler gets its name from the cobbled appearance of the crust which is not rolled flat like a pie. Because crumbles and crisps are not smooth either, they are often confused with cobblers although they are different from the crust of a cobbler.

How to Thicken a Cobbler

One of the toughest things about baking any kind of fruit-filled item is getting it to a thick enough consistency. One of the things that makes this recipe so easy for anybody to do is that it uses canned pie filling so you don’t have to make it from scratch.

If you don’t make a lot of cobblers, this is a huge time saver. It will save you money too while sparing you the trial and error needed to get it just right. If you want to take this recipe even further and make your own pie filling from scratch, you will need a few extra ingredients to pull it together (so to speak).

One key ingredient is corn starch which is the main thickening agent you will use to get the filling to the right consistency.

Boil the fruit with sugar, and cornstarch. Usually, you would add lemon juice, too, but since this is all lemons, that’s a bit redundant. The corn starch starts to work its magic as soon as you see the soupy mixture begin to bubble up.

Baked lemon cobbler red and white napkin lemons

Toppings for Lemon Cobbler

A scoop of ice cream
Whipped cream
Fresh blueberries

Baking with Buttermilk

Mixing the dough for this cobbler crust is the biggest component to making this recipe come together. Since you can easily use the canned pie filling I suggest, the only real work you will put into baking the lemon cobbler is the crust and nothing else.

The crust dough is as simple as gently whisking together four dry ingredients. Blend and then adding buttermilk with a touch of vanilla extract and lemon extract. Buttermilk is commonly used in baking.

The primary reason for this is because it adds tartness and because it breaks down gluten. Because of its tenderizing effect on gluten, the pastry comes out fluffier. Another benefit of the more acidic choice in milk is that it works with baking soda to help the dough rise. This gives the crust of the lemon cobbler its thickness. Do you HAVE to use buttermilk? Nope regular milk will work also. The flavor will be a bit different but it will be just as delicious.

Baked cobbler on a white plate red and white napkin

Substitutions for buttermilk

The substitute I recommend if you don’t have buttermilk… You can just use whole milk as is or modify it. Just add a little bit of lemon juice to imitate the acidity in buttermilk. Just a squeeze will do. Another trick is to use vinegar. Although buttermilk is not necessary to make this the crust it does give it a nice flavor. But either way you will get a delicious dessert in the end.

OTHER RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE:

Chocolate Eclair Cake

Lemon Lime Bundt Cake

Arkansas Possum Pie

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Banana Cream Cheesecake Bars