Apple Cobbler with Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Naked braeburns, awaiting sugary alchemy

Holy smokes, am I ever excited that cheese exists and that it goes into baked goods. Apologies to my meat- and dairy-disavowing friends and all, first with the constant butter, then with the bacon, and now (again) with the cheddar—I am just totally not cutting you pals a break. It's hard though! When tangy, sharp, crispy genius in the form of cheddar-apple baked goods exists in great creative abundance, who am I to turn my back?

Shifting of tectonic biscuit plates?

I have to be completely honest here and tell you that though I love all cheese in baked goods, this recipe left me wanting. We just had bacon-feta-scallion scones that were over the moon, and there was an amazing apple pie with cheddar cheese crust a little while ago, but for this cobbler, I wanted the cheese and apple flavors to be more integrated than they were. Joey adored this though, and the empty pan sitting in my sink is testament to its goodness, but I'm in search of something blatantly cheesier. Now if only I could figure out a good way to make brie pie...

I'll trade you a brie pie...

Apple Cobbler with Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Adapted from Rustic Fruit Desserts

I found the biscuits to be a little too doughy, so unless you're a diehard bread fan, you might want to reduce the size of the biscuits a bit and cook the extra dough on a baking sheet. Or instead of making nine large biscuits, you could make a bunch of smaller ones.

Filling

8 large apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark, your preference

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Juice of one lemon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar + 1 more tablespoon for tops of biscuits

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt (you might find this in need of more salt)

2 cups (4 ounces) extra-sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/3 cups cold buttermilk

1.  Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Gently toss apples, sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a bowl, then spread in a buttered, square, three-quart baking dish.  Dapple the apples (bah!) with the pats of butter, cover with foil, and place on the lower oven rack to let apples begin cooking while you make biscuits.

2.  To make the biscuits, mix all the dry ingredients (just one TBSP. sugar) in a bowl, add cheddar, and stir gently.  Make a well in the center, and slowly add buttermilk.  Fold in with a rubber spatula until dough is completely mixed and you have a doughy, but shaggy ball.  If need be, add more buttermilk, one tablespoon at a time until the dough is pliable, but not too sticky.

3.  Take apples out of oven and remove foil.  Using 1/4-cup proportions, add rounds of dough to tops of apples, distributing evenly.  You should have 9 biscuits.  Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar atop the biscuits and return to the oven (foil removed).  Bake for about 40 minutes, until apples are soft and biscuits are golden.