Although President’s Day fell earlier this week, today is the actual birthday of George Washington, February 22. In celebration of the day — and the old cherry tree legend — here’s a fun twist on a classic: Sugar Cookie Cherry Cobbler.

Cobblers are one of my favorite desserts. Warm, sweet fruit topped with a tender crust and a scoop of vanilla ice cream is hard to beat. I often favor biscuit-style cobblers, like Georgia Peach Cobbler or a classic strawberry shortcake, because I love the balance of juicy fruit and lightly sweetened dough.

For a while I’ve been curious if cookies could take the place of the usual biscuit topping. The answer: yes. And I can’t resist saying the name out loud — Sugar Cookie Cherry Cobbler — it’s just delightful.

Even though it’s still technically winter, a patch of spring-like weather arrived recently in the Northeast and we soaked it up. We spent a sunny day wandering through gardens filled with an astonishing number of orchids. It was the perfect backdrop for thinking about lighter, fruit-forward desserts.

Because cherries aren’t in season right now, I used a large bag of organic frozen cherries. Frozen fruit is ideal for cobblers: it’s convenient, won’t spoil while you wait to bake, and many frozen cherries come pitted, saving lots of prep time.

Rather than tossing frozen cherries straight into the pan, I prefer to cook the filling first so I can control both sweetness and texture. I thaw the cherries in a large saucepan over medium heat until they release their juices, let that liquid reduce slightly, then taste and sweeten as needed. After adjusting with a squeeze of lemon, I remove a bit of the cherry juice, whisk in a tablespoon of cornstarch, return it to the fruit, and simmer until the mixture thickens into a glossy syrup. That produces a juicy filling without being overly gelatinous.

Pour the finished filling into a shallow baking dish that leaves room for bubbling. If you prefer a larger fruit-to-topping ratio, use a smaller, deeper dish — you may have extra cookie dough, which can be baked as ordinary sugar cookies.

For the cookie topping I rolled out sugar cookie dough and cut various shapes to place over the fruit. If you don’t want to roll and cut, you can spoon small mounds of dough and flatten them with your hands to create a rustic, cobblestone-style topping — either approach bakes up beautifully. I sprinkled turbinado or coarse sugar on top for extra crunch and sparkle.

Bake until the cookies are golden and the filling is bubbling up around them. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream — the contrast of hot fruit and cold, melting ice cream is essential in my book.

On sweetness: I prefer slightly less-sweet desserts, so I used 1/2 cup sugar for the filling, which felt right to most of my family. If you like your filling sweeter, add more sugar; if you prefer less sweetness, reduce the sugar in the filling and remember the cookie topping will also add sweetness. You can also cut back on or omit the coarse sugar on top.

Cooking the cherries first gives you the freedom to taste and adjust both sweetness and thickness. It’s the best way to ensure the final cobbler matches your preference.

Sugar Cookie Cherry Cobbler is a cheerful, slightly nostalgic dessert that blends sweet-tart cherries with a tender, crisp cookie crust. It’s easy to adapt — fresh or frozen cherries work, almond extract is optional, and you can choose a neat decorative topping or a rustic one. Serve warm, top with vanilla ice cream, and enjoy a dessert that’s both comforting and playful.

Sugar Cookie Cherry Cobbler

Yield:
8 -10 servings

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 3 pounds frozen cherries
• 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• Generous squeeze of lemon or lime juice
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

For the cookie:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• Coarse sugar for sprinkling, if desired

Instructions

1. Make the cherry filling: place frozen cherries into a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until thawed and they release their juices, about 15 minutes.
2. Simmer for another five minutes to reduce the juices slightly.
3. Taste and add sugar as needed.
4. Whisk the cornstarch with a little of the cherry juice in a small bowl until smooth.
5. Return the cornstarch mixture to the pan and simmer over medium-low until thickened to a syrup. Stir in almond extract if using.
6. Pour the filling into a 13 x 9″ baking dish and set aside to cool to room temperature.
7. Make the cookie dough: whisk flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
8. Beat softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add almond and vanilla extracts and the egg, mixing until combined.
9. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Roll the dough between plastic or parchment to a little thicker than 1/4″ and chill while the filling cools.
10. Preheat oven to 350°F.
11. When the filling is cool, cut shapes from the chilled dough and arrange over the filling. Alternatively, drop spoonfuls of dough and flatten them by hand for a rustic topping.
12. Sprinkle coarse sugar evenly over the dough and bake 35–45 minutes, until the filling bubbles and the topping is golden.
13. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

*Adjust the filling sweetness to taste. I used 1/2 cup sugar but you can start with 1/4 cup and add more if needed.

*If you want a thicker filling, add more cornstarch while cooking. One tablespoon produced a glossy syrup for me.

*Three pounds of cherries is approximately eight cups, but exact amounts aren’t critical—use what fills your dish and sweeten to taste.

*Fresh cherries work fine as well; cooking the fruit first allows you to control sweetness and texture.

*If you prefer no almond flavor, omit almond extract and rely on vanilla in the cookie dough.

*For a rustic topping, simply spoon and flatten dough instead of rolling and cutting shapes.

*Store covered at room temperature or refrigerated; reheat individual servings if you prefer them warm.

© Ramona