Fall means ripening apples eventually giving way to warm and toasty apple desserts. But what is the difference between apple desserts like apple crisp, apple crumble, apple cobbler and so on?
Saturday, Oct. 5, is National Apple Betty day, making it a good time for a little Apple Dessert 101.
Apple Betty or Apple Brown Betty dates back to Colonial days. However, according to the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, it was first mentioned in print in 1864.
A Brown Betty can be made with pears or berries, but is most frequently made with apples. Unlike other apple desserts, sweetened crumbs are placed in layers between the fruit and it is served with lemon sauce or whipped cream, which gives the dessert more of a pudding texture versus a pie filling. That's why Apple Brown Betty can also be called apple pudding. It was a favorite dessert during Ronald Reagan's time in the White House.
Apple Cobbler is a dessert where baked apples are topped with a crust made of biscuit dough. Apple cobblers come in a variety of styles, including the following:
Apple Slump is an apple cobbler that is flipped upside-down after coming out of the oven so the fruit that cooked at the bottom of the pan is now on top of biscuits and 'slumps' down into the dish.
Apple Grunt is an apple cobbler cooked on the stove.
Apple Pandowdy is an old recipe, first printed in a cookbook in 1886 , cobbler which uses broken pie crust instead of biscuit dough.
Apple Crisp is a relatively new apple dessert first mentioned in a 1924 cookbook. According to Canadian Living, "A crisp is a baked fruit dessert topped with a crisp and crunchy layer of ingredients. The topping may include a proportion of sugar, butter, oats, nuts, flour and a spice such as cinnamon, tossed together to gain a somewhat granular look. The dessert is baked just until the topping is crisp and golden."
Apple Crumble is synonymous with Apple Crisp in the U.K. and Australia, but in Canada and the U.S., it is a slightly different dish. Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts. Instead, a crumble's topping is more like streusel, made with flour, sugar and butter. According to Canadian Living, "The topping is generally more clumpy than a crisp topping, but not as clumpy as a cobbler topping."
The fact is most of these apple desserts are pretty close to one another in taste, texture and appearance. So whichever you choose, for heaven's sake just start picking and baking.
- Monday, Sept. 30: Chewing Gum Day
- Tuesday, Oct. 1: Fire Pup Day
- Wednesday, Oct. 2: Name Your Car Day
- Thursday, Oct. 3: Boyfriend Day
- Friday, Oct. 4: Golf Lover's Day
- Saturday, Oct. 5: Get Funky Day
- Sunday, Oct. 6: German-American Day
FAQs
Cobbler: A fruit dessert made with a top crust of pie dough or biscuit dough but no bottom crust. Crisp/crumble: In Alberta, the terms are mostly interchangeable. Both refer to fruit desserts similar to cobbler but made with a brown sugar streusel topping sometimes containing old-fashioned rolled oats.
What's the difference between apple crisp and apple brown betty? ›
Both are very similar apple desserts, but the difference mainly comes down to the crumble topping: Instead of the flour and oat mixture used in an apple crisp, an apple brown betty uses breadcrumbs for its crumbly, delicious topping.
What is the difference between a crisp, a cobbler, and a crumble? ›
Cobblers differ from crisps or crumbles in that they typically have a biscuit topping covering the cooked fruit. The biscuits are usually dropped onto the fruit in small rounds, giving it the appearance of a cobbled road, hence the name.
What's the difference between a pandowdy and a cobbler? ›
Pandowdy: A pandowdy is a deep-dish baked fruit dessert with a flaky pie or biscuit topping. The main difference between a pandowdy and a cobbler is that the topping is rolled out to the shape of the baking dish, placed on top of the fruit mixture and partially baked.
Why is it called Brown Betty? ›
The story behind this classic dessert is somewhat nebulous. The Oxford Companion to Fooddeduced that there was in fact a real "Betty" of African-American descent for which the dish is named. It is believed that "brown" wasn't referring to the dish, but to the cook herself, who may have been of mixed racial background.
What defines a cobbler? ›
cob·bler ˈkä-blər. 1. : a mender or maker of shoes and often of other leather goods. 2. archaic : a clumsy workman.
What's the difference between a betty and a buckle? ›
A brown betty is both layered and topped with sweet butter crumbs. The crumbs should be dry to absorb between the layers while remaining crunchy on top. Breadcrumbs or graham-cracker crumbs are used in this dessert. A buckle is generally made with berries folded in cake batter before baking with some crumb topping.
What is the difference between apple pie and cobbler? ›
The biggest difference between a cobbler and a pie is the placement of the dough. Pies have, at a minimum, a bottom crust with the fruit placed on top, while a cobbler has the fruit on the bottom and a dolloped dough on top instead.
Why is it called apple cobbler? ›
Cobbler's name comes from its sometimes cobbled texture, which is a result of spooning or dropping the topping over the fruit rather than distributing it equally. This way, the filling can peek through.
What's similar to a cobbler? ›
Grunts are very similar to cobblers, but they are STEAMED instead of BAKED. The New England name for a cobbler. Similar to a cobbler, but the biscuit or pie dough is rolled out and placed on top of the fruit.
Cobbler is sometimes described as a kind of fruit pie, but strictly speaking, the two are different. Pies are made from pastry, rather than biscuit batter, and they are fully encased, with a crust at the top and the bottom, while cobblers typically only have a topping.
Is cobbler soggy? ›
We love cobblers for being juicy, but really ripe fruit can make more puddles than a spring rain. The result is a soupy cobbler with a soggy top. Try this: Add one to two tablespoons of cornstarch to the filling. Partnered with a little sugar and lemon juice, this will make a lush sauce for the fruit.
What is another name for apple cobbler? ›
Apple cobbler (also known as apple slump, apple grunt, and apple pandowdy) is an old recipe in which the baked apples are topped with a cobbler crust formed of batter, pie crust or baking powder biscuit dough.
What is the difference between a crisp apple and a mushy apple? ›
Unripe or overripe apples may have a soft or mealy texture. When an apple is mature, its cells are fully developed and filled with moisture, contributing to its crisp texture. This ideal moisture level is best achieved with refrigeration to extend the apple's crunchy texture.
What is an American cobbler? ›
Cobbler is a traditional baked dessert that is enjoyed in households throughout the USA and Britain. It is typically made with a fruit filling and a golden brown biscuit topping (known as dumplings or scones in the UK).
Is apple crisp and Apple Pie the same thing? ›
Crust or crumble…that's what the main difference between apple pie and apple crisp comes down to. A traditional apple pie features a buttery, flaky crust encasing the apple filling. Apple crisps, on the other hand, have a crunchy, crumbly coating on top (and nothing on the bottom).
