Cobblers, Crisps, and Crumbles by Bridget

Cobblers, crumbles, and crisps—oh my! Maybe it’s a Texas thing, but when I was growing up, any warm fruit dessert with some sort of baked topping was called a “cobbler.” I say maybe this is a function of living in Texas, because we do the same thing when it comes to soft drinks. This is a typical conversation at a party:

“Would you like a Coke?”

“Sure!”

“What kind?”

“I’ll have a Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper.”

So you see what I mean about cobblers. It wasn’t until I was newly married and really developing an interest in baking things other than chocolate chip cookies that I started reading cookbooks like textbooks. King Arthur Flour’s cookbooks, in particular, opened my eyes to so many different baked goods and techniques. It was reading those cookbooks that made me realize there’s more to baked fruit than cobblers and pies!

Not only are there cobblers, crisps, and crumbles, but have you ever eaten a grunt or a slump? How about a buckle or a brown Betty?

 
 

Let’s talk about the main three: crumbles, crisps, and cobblers. But before we start, let me just say this: if you’ve been calling your nana’s crisp recipe a cobbler, I say keep doing it. We know what you mean.

 
 

Crumbles

Crumbles are made by topping fruit with a streusel of sorts, with sugar, butter, and flour, and oats. Oats give the crumble and more rustic look. Makes sense! Often, crumbles have nuts as well. The crumble is made and scattered all over the fruit prior to baking. Keep reading for a Cherry and Plum Crumble recipe.

 
 

Crisps

Like crumbles, the fruit in a crisp is topped with a flour, butter, sugar mixture, but crisps are not made with oats. Without oats, the topping bakes up less crumbly and crispier. Again, don’t panic if your favorite peach crisp contains oats.

 
 

Cobblers

Here we are at cobblers, the catch-all. Cobblers typically have a topping that is a biscuit dough or cake batter-like. Cobblers are where you’ll start to see milk, eggs, and baking powder come into play, rather than a drier scattered topping.

 
 

Ready to make a crumble with me? Start with 5 cups of pitted sweet cherries and sliced plums. Pour them into a greased pie plate.

 
 

Toss with sugar, flour, and lemon juice.

 
 

Next, whip up the streusel topping. This one has brown sugar, oats, and sliced almonds.

 
 

Using your fingers, press in the butter until no big chunks remain and it is dispersed pretty evenly. Sprinkle over the fruit and bake until the fruit is bubbling along the edges.

 
 

Let the crumble cool for 20–30 minutes before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 
 

No matter what you call them, they all should be served warm with a scoop of ice cream on top. That part is non-negotiable.