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This Apple Walnut Cobbler is like upside down apple pie topped with a rich caramel sauce studded with walnuts. (Yes, please!) Enjoy this cozy fall dessert recipe warm and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Apple pie: Start with thawed frozen store-bought pies. Or if you are feeling ambitious, whip up a couple of my Best Apple Pies from scratch (you can use fresh-baked and cooled pies or defrosted-from-frozen homemade apple pies).
- Allspice: This clove relative is a spice that tastes similar to a mash-up of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. If you don’t have any on-hand, make your own mix of 1 ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg and a small pinch of ground cloves; use ½ teaspoon of this blend in the apple cobbler.
- Butter: Love the flavor of salted caramel? Opt for salted butter, otherwise unsalted works beautifully too.
Step by step instructions
- Make the cobbler: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Carefully remove the pastry top of each pie using a sharp knife and arrange the tops inside a 9″x 13″ rectangular baking dish, apple side up (it’s okay if it breaks). Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the baking dish, overlapping if necessary, and set aside.
- Gently scoop out or pour the apple filling from each pie into a medium bowl. Add lemon juice, allspice, and cinnamon and stir to combine. Spoon the apple filling into the baking dish on top of the pie dough.
- Cover the apples with the bottom pastry of the pies, apple side down, overlapping if necessary. Cut several small slits in the dough and bake according to the pie instructions, or at 400 degrees, for 45-50 minutes, until the crust is brown and the apples are bubbling. Remove from oven.
- Make the topping: While the cobbler is baking, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the brown sugar on medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles and becomes deep brown and caramel-like in consistency, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add cinnamon, water, and walnuts. Stir to coat walnuts in the caramel.
- Assemble the cobbler: Once cobbler is finished baking, pour hot caramel walnut mixture over the cobbler. Cut into squares and serve warm with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Apple Walnut Cobbler transforms two fruit pies into one 16-serving dessert that’s perfect for parties, potlucks, and other large gatherings. Or, you know, one really hungry family for a few scrumptious servings per person!
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Make ahead: Assemble and bake the pie 1 day ahead (do not make or add the topping) and chill overnight. Either bring to room temperature or reheat in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until hot. Make and add the caramel-walnut topping.
- Seasonal twists: Come summer, try this same concept with peach pies or cherry pies.
- Crown your cobbler: Top each scoop with homemade whipped cream or a scoop of cinnamon, butter-pecan, or vanilla ice cream (and an extra drizzle of caramel sauce if you really want to take things over the top).
- Copycat: This recipe is based on the famous Houston’s Walnut Apple Cobbler recipe, and per insiders, this is exactly how they make it.
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Apple Walnut Cobbler
This Apple Walnut Cobbler is like upside down apple pie topped with a rich caramel sauce studded with walnuts. (Yes, please!) Enjoy this cozy fall dessert recipe warm and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Ingredients
For the cobbler:
- 2 frozen apple pies 9" diameter each, thawed (see note 1)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
For the topping:
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks, see note 3)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon water
- 10 ounces walnuts (2 ½ cups)
Instructions
To make the cobbler:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Carefully remove the pastry top of each pie using a sharp knife and arrange the tops inside a 9″x 13″ rectangular baking dish, apple side up. (It’s okay if it breaks.) Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the baking dish, overlapping if necessary, and set aside.
- Gently scoop out or pour the apple filling from each pie into a medium bowl. Add lemon juice, allspice, and cinnamon and stir to combine. Spoon the apple filling into the baking dish on top of the pie dough.
- Cover the apples with the bottom pastry of the pies, apple side down, overlapping if necessary. Cut several small slits in the dough and bake according to the pie instructions, or at 400 degrees, for 45-50 minutes, until the crust is brown and the apples are bubbling. Remove from oven.
To make the topping:
- While the cobbler is baking, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the brown sugar on medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles and becomes deep brown and caramel-like in consistency, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add cinnamon, water, and walnuts. Stir to coat walnuts in the caramel. Set aside.
To assemble the cobbler:
- Once cobbler is finished baking, pour hot caramel walnut mixture over the cobbler. Cut into squares and serve warm with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Apple pie: Start with thawed frozen store-bought pies. Or if you are feeling ambitious, whip up a couple of my Best Apple Pies from scratch (you can use fresh-baked and cooled pies or defrosted-from-frozen homemade apple pies).
- Allspice: This clove relative is a spice that tastes similar to a mash-up of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. If you don’t have any on-hand, make your own mix of 1 ¾ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg and a small pinch of ground cloves; use ½ teaspoon of this blend in the apple cobbler.
- Butter: Love the flavor of salted caramel? Opt for salted butter, otherwise unsalted works beautifully too.
- Yield: This Apple Walnut Cobbler transforms two fruit pies into one 16-serving dessert that’s perfect for parties, potlucks, and other large gatherings. Or, you know, one really hungry family for a few scrumptious servings per person!
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Make ahead: Assemble and bake the pie 1 day ahead (do not make or add the topping) and chill overnight. Either bring to room temperature or reheat in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until hot. Make and add the caramel-walnut topping.
- Seasonal twists: Come summer, try this same concept with peach pies or cherry pies.
- Crown your cobbler: Top each scoop with homemade whipped cream or a scoop of cinnamon, butter-pecan, or vanilla ice cream (and an extra drizzle of caramel sauce if you really want to take things over the top).
- Copycat: This recipe is based on the famous Houston’s Walnut Apple Cobbler recipe, and per insiders, this is exactly how they make it.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 3gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 6mgPotassium: 109mgFiber: 2gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 361IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
We have been looking for a Houston’s Apple Cobbler dupe recipe for years! Decades, actually. My spouse found this recipe and made it for our Christmas 2020. He toasted the walnuts before adding them to the caramel sauce, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I’m a bit of a snob about using store-bought/ready-made ingredients, but this is such a winner that I readily get off my high horse. Besides, there’s a lot to be said about something so delicious also being so easy to make! Thank you, thank you Meggan!
I too love houston’s walnut cobble. It’s gotten so expensive. I want to try this recipe. Does it actually taste the same? where does the lemon come in at in the recipe.
Thx
I tried to make the walnut topping twice based on this recipe. Both times the brown sugar butter mixture just turned into an oily mess. Are the amounts I’m using correct? The recipe says 1 cup brown sugar with 8 oz of butter. I stirred over medium heat for 5+ minutes and never got anything resembling the caramel like walnut syrup I was remembering from Houston’s desert. Any ideas what I may be doing wrong?
Hi Kisha, Sounds like the butter and sugar are separating. Been there, done that. Most common cause is the heat is too high. Try a lower flame or heat setting. Will take a bit longer to cook, but not much, and you should get the nice caramel you are seeking.
This recipe is spot on! I grew up eating at Houston’s and worked at the one in Phoenix 25 years ago. I would suggest buying Chef Pierre Apple pies if you can find them (Hint!). Most restaurant food distributors carry that brand.
OMG Scott i have been looking for this hint for the last year i can not wait to make this!! You are awesome! And Megan you are even more awesome for putting this recipe together. I can not wait to post how it came out
DEAR SWEET JESUS, this recipe. I have been looking for the HOUSTON’S apple cobbler recipe and THIS IS IT. It’s a must make! Thank you thank you thank you!