Food

Banana Cobbler Recipe: How to Make Banana Cobbler

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Mar 25, 2024 • 2 min read

This classic Southern treat pairs slices of ripe banana with a simple batter constructed from pantry staples. Banana cobbler is a family-sized treat that you can have ready in less than an hour to make an ideal dessert for any day of the week.

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What Is Banana Cobbler?

Banana cobbler is a rustic fruit dessert, featuring slices of ripe banana mixed with vanilla-flavored batter and scattered with streusel in a cobblestone-like formation. Banana cobbler is a sweeter, more cake-like version of a cobbler than semi-sweet biscuit-like peach cobbler or rhubarb cobbler. A brown sugar cinnamon oat streusel tops this confection for some added crunch.

You can prep, assemble, and bake this dessert to have it on the table in under an hour for a convenient crowd-friendly dessert ready at a moment’s notice.

3 Tips for Making Banana Cobbler

Bakers of all skill levels will be able to master this super-simple fruit cobbler. Follow these tips to make the best banana cobbler possible:

  1. 1. Use ripe bananas. Use very ripe bananas with some brown spots, which will be the sweetest, for the best-tasting banana cobbler. Avoid using green, unripe bananas to prepare this dish because they lack the flavor of their ripe counterparts.
  2. 2. Experiment with additions. You can customize this dish with a variety of tasty additions to suit your palate. Fold chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds into the batter or the oat streusel topping for some added crunch. Incorporate banana extract for a more banana-forward filling, or add almond extract for a nuttier-tasting cobbler. Fold cocoa powder or chocolate chips into the filling to create a chocolate-banana cobbler.
  3. 3. Try different toppings. You can serve banana cobbler with several different toppings, from cool, creamy additions like vanilla ice cream and homemade whipped cream, to a drizzle of caramel sauce or chocolate ganache. Serve extra banana slices or handfuls of tart berries, like blueberries and blackberries, with the cobbler for an extra fruity kick.

Classic Banana Cobbler Recipe

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makes

prep time

10 min

total time

55 min

cook time

45 min

Ingredients

For the filling:

For the topping:

  1. 1

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.

  2. 2

    In a large bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract.

  3. 3

    Add the milk to the batter and stir to incorporate.

  4. 4

    In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.

  5. 5

    Using a rubber spatula, fold half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the remainder of the flour to the batter and stir until everything is just combined.

  6. 6

    Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.

  7. 7

    Place the banana slices over the batter in an even layer.

  8. 8

    In a medium bowl, combine the oats, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

  9. 9

    Sprinkle the oat mixture over the bananas.

  10. 10

    Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and the cobbler is set, about 45 minutes.

  11. 11

    Remove the pan from the oven, and slice the cobbler into individual portions. Serve the cobbler warm with a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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