This tender apple cobbler is baked with cinnamon roll biscuits. Yes, cinnamon roll BISCUITS! They’re tender and flaky like a biscuit, but are swirled with cinnamon sugar and walnuts just like a cinnamon roll. They pair perfectly with the tender spiced apples, making this an apple cobbler recipe unlike any other.

How to make cinnamon roll biscuits

This hybrid is basically comprised of a buttery and flaky biscuit but with the inside of a sweet cinnamon roll. The two together create a delicious sweet biscuit that works so well in this apple cobbler. Here’s how to make these cinnamon biscuits:

1. Make the dough – The dough is just like any other biscuit. The only difference is how it’s shaped once chilled. The dough is made up of flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and buttermilk. After the dough is formed, it’s chilled for about 1 hour. This gives the butter a chance to chill firm which is what we want. Cold butter = flaky biscuit.
2. Form the dough – After the dough has chilled, it is then treated like a cinnamon roll. The dough is rolled out and coated in a layer of butter, cinnamon, and sugar. It’s then rolled up and sliced into 7 cinnamon rolls.
3. Place the dough – Once the apples are sautéed until tender, the biscuit rolls are placed right on top. They’ll seem very small, but they’ll double in size once baked.

After the cobbler is baked, the biscuit rolls are topped with icing for a little extra sweetness…just like a cinnamon roll. But it’s completely optional as the rolls are delicious on their own!

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Tips for making apple cobbler in a skillet

What I love about this recipe is how the apples are sautéed and baked all in the same dish. The apple cobbler starts by heating sliced apples in a skillet until tender. Then the biscuits are added on top before transferring the skillet to the oven to bake all the way through. It only requires a few simple steps, but here’s what to look out for along the way:

1. Slice the apples – Slice the apples to about 1/8 inch thickness. They shouldn’t be too thick or too thin. If they’re too thin the cobbler will turn out too mushy. If too thick, the apples won’t become as tender as they should.
2. Sauté the apples – Heat the apples in a skillet along with butter, sugar, and flour. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the apples reduce by about 1/4 in size and are somewhat tender but not completely cooked through. This part is tricky as the apples fully crowd the pan at first, but just keep gently stirring and they will shrink down to fit the pan perfectly.
3. Biscuits – When adding the biscuits, space them out evenly and gently nuzzle them into the cobbler. Then brush with some milk so they turn a nice golden color on the top.
4. Baking – You know the cobbler is done with it’s bubbling and the biscuits are golden. After they’re baked, the apples are the perfect tender texture since we didn’t over cook them on the stove top to start.

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What are the best apples to use in apple cobbler?

For this recipe, I used fuji apples. Not only are they perfect for baking, but they’re also fairly inexpensive compared to honey crisp. I say this because we’re looking for a firm, crisp, and sweet apple for this cobbler and fuji and honey crisp are my top two picks.

This is because they’re both sweet but slightly tart and bake perfectly. They don’t turn too soft and bake into the right amount of tenderness.

Avoid using traditional baking apples like granny smith as these will be too sour and tart for this recipe. Apples really shine in this dessert, so we want to use good quality and flavorful apples since there isn’t a ton of sugar in the cobbler.

Can this recipe be made gluten free?

Although I have not tested, I would suggest replacing any flour in this recipe with a good quality all purpose gluten free baking flour. I like the one for one by Bob’s Red Mill. I would suggest weighing the flour instead of measuring to ensure accuracy as gluten free flour tends to be a bit more dense than traditional.

How to store apple cobbler

After the cobbler is baked and you have some leftovers you need to save, simply cover the skillet in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Then when you want to heat it back up, just uncover the pan and bake at 300F for about 10 minutes. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

For more apple recipes, check out my:

• Caramel Apple Muffins
• Apple Cider Cake
• BEST EVER Apple Pie
• Walnut Apple Crumble Cake
• Apple Cinnamon Bread

Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and comment below if you make this cinnamon biscuit apple cobbler. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!

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