Caramel Apple & Walnut Cobbler

Caramel Apple & Walnut Cobbler

Summer fruit cobblers make terrific desserts but just because it is winter, doesn't mean that a great cobbler can't make an appearance at your next family dinner. This one uses a homemade caramel sauce but you can easily substitute a store bought caramel sauce if you need to cut down on the preparation time; about 1 1/4 cups should do. I like to add the walnuts on top to get extra crunchy during baking but you can omit them altogether from the recipe if you prefer or even substitute pecans or almonds.

Caramel

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp water1/3 cup butter cut in small cubes
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

Begin by mixing the sugar and water in a medium saucepan.

Boil the sugar and water over medium heat until the mixture begins to turn a light amber color. It is very easy to burn this mixture which can happen very quickly once the proper color is achieved, so have your butter and cream at the ready, as timing is crucial for this recipe.
When the color is right, quickly add the butter and stir quickly until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat immediately and pour in the whipping cream, stirring constantly until the sauce is uniformly smooth.

Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan well. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and chop into large chunks

• 4-5 large apples

Spread evenly on the bottom of the baking pan.. Sprinkle with:

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pour the caramel sauce over the apples.

Cobbler Topping

In a food processor combine:

• 1  cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Using the pulse button on the food processor cut in

• 1/2 cup very cold butter, cut in small pieces

Pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. ( If you don't own a food processor, you can cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or even a couple of knives.)
To the flour/butter mixture add

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Fold in the milk just until a soft dough forms. Do not overwork the dough or it will become too tough. Less is more here and the less you work the dough, the lighter your cobbler will turn out.

Drop the cobbler dough in heaping tablespoonfuls onto the apple mixture. Sprinkle on:

• 3/4 cup walnuts

Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the top is evenly golden brown. Let the cobbler rest for 10-15 minutes before serving warm with some good French Vanilla ice cream.