Southern-Style Apple Cobbler | Now We're Cookin'

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter plus 2 tablespoons for cooking the apples in the pan
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ​1 cup sugar
• Pinch ground ginger
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of one lemon
• 1 teaspoon orange liqueur, or one teaspoon orange zest
• 2 cups of apple slices cut about 1/4" thick
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

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Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet, big enough to fit all the apples. Add apples and cook until softened and golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Stir occasionally.  Add brown sugar and cook until the sugar melts into the butter, about two more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 
3. Put 1/2 cup butter in an 8" x 8" baking pan, cast iron pan, or oval casserole (make sure the dish can hold about 8 cups, see chef note) and place the dish in the oven to melt the butter. Be sure to remove the dish from the oven as soon as the butter melts. 
4. Using a whisk, mix the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, ground ginger and ground cinnamon in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in the milk, vanilla, lemon zest and the orange liqueur or orange zest. 
5. Using oven mitts, remove the hot dish from the oven and pour the batter into the hot butter. Spoon the cooked apples and their cooking liquid evenly over the batter.
6. Place the dish back in the oven and bake until the batter is browned and has risen around the fruit, about 40-50 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. I highly recommend serving the cobber with some whipped cream. 

Chef Notes:

• Pour 8 cups of water into your desired baking dish to see if it is the right size for the cobbler! 
• You can also use self-rising flour instead of the all-purpose flour, but do not add the baking powder if so.