Who wouldn’t love a drunken, fruit-enrobed, crunchy, sweet, cherry cobbler pillowy dough cloud? Coconut extract, unsweetened shredded coconut, and dark rum help to make this cherry cobbler one that any drunken sailor would willingly brave the seas for.
With “Cherry Cobbler” being the featured theme for this month’s Fantastical Food Fight, I am forced to admit to y’all that I have never been a fan of cobblers. Perhaps it has something to do with them having the same name as a person whose job it is to fix shoes. The thought of stinky, smelly, foul shoes and dessert lumped together, just doesn’t seem to mix well in my head. I can’t help but imagine an old wrinkled man sitting on a rickety wooden stool in a broken-down cottage, simultaneously cobbling the bottom of a well-worn pair of beaten-up leather shoes while also spooning large bites of a dough-covered fruit casserole into his mouth. It’s just kinda gross if you ask me.
So after making this cobbler, do I feel any different? Well, if I’m honest, I still shudder at the name, however, I will admit that the dessert itself was fantastic. The crunchy sugar-coated topping with just the right hint of coconut sort of made everything worthwhile. Not to mention, once again, the theory was proved, that if you put enough butter and rum into something, it’s bound to be good. I myself, still feel that to use the word cobbler is pretty gosh darn evil when referencing a dessert though, so I think in my own head I’ll just choose to think of this dessert as “Drunken Fruit Enrobed in a Crunchy Sweet Pillowy Dough Cloud.” That way the thought of stinky, smelly, foul shoes won’t have to be a thing I squeamishly endure whilst eating my dessert.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 Cup Dark Rum
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 6 Cups Fresh Cherries, Pitted & Cut in Half
- 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
- 4 Teaspoons Melted Butter
- 3/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Extract
- 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Cup Very Cold Unsalted Butter, Cut into Small Pieces
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons Whipping Cream
- 2 to 3 Teaspoons of Demerara Sugar
Directions:
- Whisk together the dark rum and granulated sugar. Place the halved cherries in a shallow baking dish and pour the rum and sugar mixture over them. Stir to combine. Allow the cherries to set for two hours, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the 4 teaspoons of butter into a pie dish and place the dish in the oven until the butter is melted. Drain the rum off of the cherries, and stir in the coconut and corn starch until well combined. Spoon the cherry mixture on top of the melted butter; do not stir.
- Whisk together the 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream and coconut extract; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a pastry cutter, fork, or knife to cut the butter into the flour mixture.
- Use a silicone spatula to fold the heavy whipping cream mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to drop the cobbler mixture on top of the cherries.
- Brush with additional whipping cream and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cobbler is browned and cooked through.
Suggestions:
- You may choose to add a little bit of sugar to the cherry mixture in this cobbler or use sweetened shredded coconut. I didn’t use either in this cobbler because I don’t like overly sweet desserts.
- Never stir the melted butter into the fruit mixture or topping when making a cobbler. The butter will eventually bubble up and cook into the cobbler topping on its own.
- Make sure the butter you use to make the dough in this recipe is extremely cold. I cut the butter into small pieces and then place it back in the fridge to ensure that it gets cold again.
- You can buy pure coconut extract online; what is available in most markets is artificial. You can use either one, however, I prefer to use pure extracts whenever possible.
Improvements:
- Use spiced rum in this recipe in lieu of plain dark rum.
- Serve with whipped cream or chocolate sauce.
- Toast the shredded coconut in this recipe.
- Serve this cherry cobbler with this Blended Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream or this Buttermilk Double Vanilla Ice Cream.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 Cup Dark Rum
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 6 Cups Fresh Cherries, Pitted & Cut in Half
- 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- 2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
- 4 Teaspoons Melted Butter
- 3/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Extract
- 1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Cup Very Cold Unsalted Butter, Cut into Small Pieces
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons Whipping Cream
- 2 to 3 Teaspoons of Demerara Sugar
Directions:
- Whisk together the dark rum and granulated sugar. Place the halved cherries in a shallow baking dish and pour the rum and sugar mixture over them. Stir to combine. Allow the cherries to set for two hours, stirring occasionally.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the 4 teaspoons of butter into a pie dish and place the dish in the oven until the butter is melted. Drain the rum off of the cherries, and stir in the coconut and corn starch until well combined. Spoon the cherry mixture on top of the melted butter; do not stir.
- Whisk together the 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream and coconut extract; set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Use a pastry cutter, fork, or knife to cut the butter into the flour mixture.
- Use a silicone spatula to fold the heavy whipping cream mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to drop the cobbler mixture on top of the cherries.
- Brush with additional whipping cream and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cobbler is browned and cooked through.
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MORE GREAT CHERRY RECIPES
Sour Cherry Preserves (Small-Batch)
Dark Rum Cherry Almond Thumbprint Cookies