By Case D. Fischer

It’s Gillespie County Fair Week, the time that we all celebrate the tradition of the Oldest Continuous County Fair in Texas. I venture to say that everyone who grew up in Fredericksburg looks forward to this fun annual event, I know I do. This year’s Fair looks a lot different like everything else in our lives right now, however, the Fair will go on! There won’t be a carnival, parade or dances and even the Queen’s Contest has been cancelled for 2020. However, they will have some livestock judging, some exhibits and the horse races will run on Saturday and Sunday. It’s always fun to walk through the exhibits and see the agricultural bounty on display, along with the baking items. I remember my sister Claire Wallendorf baking pies and cobblers with our peaches and entering them into the judging. It was always fun to walk through the exhibits and see who won prizes. In honor of the Gillespie County Fair, instead of a peach cobbler recipe, I am sharing something a little different, an Apple Cobbler recipe – which could be a potential award winner.

“Why Apple Cobbler?”, you might ask. Well, Fall is just around the corner which means so is apple season. You may already have an excellent fruit cobbler recipe but prepare to stun your friends and family with this apple cobbler. It is made with a secret ingredient; our Caramel Apple Butter.

To begin with though, it’s important to use the right apples for the filling. Honeycrisp apples make great baking apples because they are naturally sweet, and their texture holds together for any baking recipe like pies, tarts, crumbles, and cobblers. By adding a few tablespoons of Caramel Apple Butter into the cobbler filling and topping, you create a rich caramel flavor that really compliments the apples. Apple butter has the sweet tones of Autumn and is perfect for any upcoming holiday recipe involving apples. So that Apple pie that you would like to give a new twist?  Add some Caramel Apple Butter.

There are numerous ways to prepare a fruit cobbler. Really any fruit can be used such as pears, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries. All fruit cobblers have a similar baking method. Prepare the filling, and then the batter for the topping and bake. The topping is interchangeable with any type of cobbler that you make. However, if you are using this filling recipe for a peach or berry cobbler, add 2-3 tbsp more all-purpose flour into the filling. Peaches and berries contain more juice than apples, and more flour will prevent the cobbler from becoming too runny. For a tasty peach cobbler, try adding a few tablespoons of Peach Pecan Butter or Peach Preserves to the batter filling. You may not be entering this cobbler into the Gillespie County Fair, but this week’s Caramel Apple Cobbler is sure to win numerous awards in your household!

Ingredients:

For Filling
5 medium Honeycrisp apples (peeled, cored, and cut into ¼ inch slices)
2 ½ tbsp all-purpose flour
¼ cup brown sugar
1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Fischer & Wieser Caramel Apple Butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
⅛ tsp cloves

For Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
⅓ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup melted butter
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup + 2 tbsp Fischer & Wieser Caramel Apple Butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

For Filling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease down a baking casserole dish.

2. In a large bowl, add the apple slices, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, caramel apple butter, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Toss together until apples are fully coated. Pour mixture into casserole dish. Set aside.

For Topping

1. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, butter, milk, Caramel Apple Butter, and vanilla until combined. Take a spoon & place dollops of the topping over the filling (the batter will be thick).

2. Transfer dish to the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. The filling will be bubbling and the top will be light brown.

3. Remove from oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream.