This Easy Cherry Cobbler has lots of juicy fresh cherries and a buttery sugar cookie topping, and it's made entirely from scratch. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a perfect summer dessert!
When cherries are in season (like right now), one of my favorite ways to enjoy them is this simple yet incredibly delicious fresh cherry cobbler. It's way easier than making a pie...and I think it's even better.
The flavor of the sweet-tart cherries really shines and, along with the lovely sauce that's made from the juices while baking, they're the star of the show. But let's not forget about that fabulous cookie topping, which is the perfect complement.
Love fruit cobblers and crisps? Be sure to try my easy fresh peach cobbler and caramel apple crisp.
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Why I Love This Recipe (and You Will Too)
- It's easy and made from scratch. A few simple ingredients are all you need, and you mix everything by hand. Pitting the cherries is the hardest part...but that's actually not even very hard.
- One bowl. You only need one mixing bowl for making the topping - the cherry filling is mixed right in the baking dish - so there's not a lot of dishes to do.
- The sugar cookie topping. It's even better than a traditional biscuit-like topping. It's buttery and sweet, the edges get lightly crisp while the center stays soft, and the hint of almond extract goes so well with the cherries.
- You can enjoy it any time of the year. When fresh cherries aren't in season, you can make this cherry cobbler with frozen cherries for a taste of summer.
Ingredients & Notes
Here are all of the ingredients you need to make this recipe, along with notes and tips on some of the items to help you make the best selections.
Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Fresh cherries - some are sweet and some are tart, so pick whichever you prefer (I use sweeter ones); select firm, plump and unblemished cherries with green stems
- Lemon juice - freshly squeezed is always best, but you can use bottled instead (I've used it plenty of times, and it's just fine)
- Vanilla extract - use pure vanilla extract for the best vanilla flavor
- Almond extract - use pure almond extract (artifical almond extract can sometimes taste...well, very artificial)
How to Pit Fresh Cherries With a Straw
If you don't have a cherry pitter, you can use a hard plastic reusable straw or metal straw to remove the pits from the cherries (disposable paper or plastic straws are not strong enough). Here's how I do it:
- Remove the stem from the cherry.
- Place one end of the straw where the stem was.
- Holding the cherry by the sides in one hand, press the straw straight through the cherry with your other hand; the pit should pop right out of the bottom.
Substitutions & Variations
- You can make this cherry cobbler with frozen cherries instead of fresh (bonus: most of the time, they are already pitted). You'll need 5 cups.
- Thaw them completely in the refrigerator and drain off all of the excess liquid before using.
- Let the thawed cherries sit at room temperature for about 30 to 45 minutes before baking to take the chill off. If they are very cold, this will increase the baking time, and the topping may get too brown before it has cooked through.
- Try making this cobbler with other fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, and more...or even a combination of fruits.
How to Make Cherry Cobbler With Fresh Cherries
This is a brief overview of the steps. The full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions is in the recipe card below.
Place the pitted cherries in an 8x8x2-inch baking dish.
Add sugar, flour, lemon juice, and vanilla extract; stir to combine.
Beat butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract in a large bowl until well combined.
Add flour; mix until a dough forms.
Evenly distribute pieces of the dough on top of the cherries.
Bake in a preheated 350°F oven until the filling is bubbly and the topping is lightly golden. Cool for about 30 minutes. Enjoy while still warm!
Top Tips
- You can adjust the amount of sugar in the cherry filling depending on how sweet or tart your cherries are.
- The topping should not get very brown. It should be very lightly colored and just starting to turn golden. If it starts to get darker than that before it's cooked through, tent the top of the dish with foil for the remaining baking time.
- This cherry cobbler is best when served when fresh from the oven and still warm (not hot). Let it cool for about 30 minutes, then serve.
Storage & Reheating
Store any leftovers, once cooled to room temperature, covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Leftovers are delicious even cold (although the topping will be softer than when it was freshly baked).
The quickest way to reheat cobbler is by individual servings in the microwave until warm. You can also reheat it in the baking dish in the oven at 325°F just until warm (if the top starts getting too brown, cover the dish with foil).
If you used a glass or ceramic baking dish, take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before reheating in the oven. If you put a cold dish straight into a hot oven, the sudden change in temperature could cause the dish to break.
Serving Suggestions
Although this cherry cobbler is excellent on its own, there's nothing better than serving it while it's still slightly warm from the oven with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. I love using my homemade no-churn vanilla ice cream...it's sooo creamy.
My second choice is a dollop or two of homemade sweetened whipped cream.
I hope you try this Easy Cherry Cobbler recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Fruit Dessert Recipes to Try
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went. Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Easy Cherry Cobbler (With Fresh Cherries)
Ingredients
For the Cherry Filling
- 1¾ pounds fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted (you want 5 cups of pitted cherries)
- 3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste (you can add more or less depending on how tart or sweet yout cherries are)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice, or bottled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Sugar Cookie Topping
- ½ cup salted butter, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Prepare the Cherry Filling
- Put the cherries in an 8x8x2-inch baking dish.
- Evenly sprinkle 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, the lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract over the cherries; stir gently to combine.
Prepare the Sugar Cookie Topping
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, ⅓ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and the almond extract until well combined, light in color and fluffy (I do this by hand with a mixing spoon).
- Add 1 cup of flour. Mix just until all of the flour has been incorporated and a dough forms (like cookie dough; it's okay if it's not in one large ball as long as there are no spots of dry flour).
- Take pieces of the dough (about 1 inch in size) and evenly distribute them on top of the cherries in a single layer.
Bake & Serve
- Bake in the center of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the cherry filling is bubbly and the topping is cooked through and just starting to turn lightly golden (it shouldn't have a lot of color).If the topping starts to get darker before it is cooked through, tent the dish with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 30 minutes; the filling will thicken more as it cools. Best when served fresh from the oven and still slightly warm (not hot).
Notes
- This is excellent served with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
- Can be served at room temperature instead of warm.
- Estimated calories shown are for the cobbler only and do not include ice cream or whipped cream.
Karen F Lowery says
One of my favorite recipes! Made it for my mom on mother's day and she loved it! Trying it next with peaches!
Michelle says
Thank you, Karen! So happy you and your mom loved it, and I appreciate you taking the time to comment and rate the recipe!
Michelle says
This is one of my favorite summer desserts...that sugar cookie topping is so yummy with the cherries and sauce. If you love cherries, this is a must-try!