Cherry Cobbler With Lemon-Cream Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1⅓ cups chilled heavy cream
• 2 lb. fresh (or frozen) sweet cherries, pitted
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. almond extract
• ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled
• 2 Tbsp. raw sugar
• Vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream (for serving)
• A 1½"-diameter cookie cutter

Steps

1. Whisk 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp. baking powder, 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl. Add ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and toss to coat. Quickly smash butter into flour mixture with your fingers, working until largest pieces are about the size of a pea.
2. Gradually stream 1⅓ cups chilled heavy cream into bowl, tossing flour mixture constantly with a fork to distribute. Using a flexible bench scraper or hard plastic spatula, fold dough over and onto itself several times, scraping bottom and sides of bowl, to bring together into a mass (dough will feel very wet and sticky).
3. Turn out dough onto a generously floured surface. Pat into a ¾"-thick rectangle or square with floured hands, using bench scraper or spatula to lift up dough and dust underneath with more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Dust surface with more flour, then cut dough into 4 equal pieces and stack on top of each other (this ensures the flakiest biscuits). Dust with flour and press down on stack with a rolling pin to flatten to a workable height. Roll out to ½" thick, dusting with more flour as needed.
4. Using 1½" cutter and dipping in flour often, punch out biscuits as closely as possible. Transfer biscuits to a plate. You should have about 40. Gather up dough scraps, reroll, and punch out more biscuits if needed. Chill until ready to use (cover if chilling for longer than 30 minutes). Do ahead: Dough can be made and/or biscuits punched out 1 day ahead; wrap tightly and chill.
5. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Mix 2 lb. fresh (or frozen) sweet cherries (if using frozen cherries, do not thaw before baking), pitted, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 3 Tbsp. cornstarch, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp. almond extract, and ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt in a large bowl. Scrape filling into a 2-qt. baking dish or 9"-diameter cake pan with 2" sides and press down on it firmly to compact. Place on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (this prevents the juices from bubbling over and smoking up your oven).
6. Arrange chilled biscuits over filling, fitting snugly so they’re touching with only a few gaps (some overlap is fine; reserve any remaining biscuit to bake at a later time). Brush generously with 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled; sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. raw sugar.
7. Bake cobbler 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and continue to bake until filling is actively bubbling through the center and biscuits are deep golden brown, 50–65 minutes more. Let cool slightly. Let cobbler rest at least 20–30 minutes; the filling will thicken as it cools. Serve with vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream. Do ahead: Cobbler can be baked 1 day ahead. Store tightly covered at room temperature. Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in our June 2019 issue as ‘Cherry Biscuit Cobbler’; it has been adapted for style. Head this way for more of our favorite cobblers and crisps →