Stone fruits are ideal for cobblers, crisps and other baked desserts. While peaches and nectarines often take center stage, apricots and plums also shine in the oven. Ripe apricots offer a floral, honeyed flavor that intensifies when roasted. These Individual Vanilla Bean Apricot Cobblers showcase in-season apricots in a simple, elegant dessert that’s easy to scale up when entertaining.
This recipe yields four single-serving cobblers, each baked in a 6-ounce ramekin. The filling is a lightly sweetened mix of ripe apricots, sugar, honey and vanilla. Roasting brings out the apricot’s floral notes, which pair beautifully with real vanilla bean. If you don’t have whole vanilla beans, high-quality vanilla extract will work—just use the substitute amount listed below. Depending on how tart your apricots are, you may want to add an extra tablespoon or so of honey to the filling.
The topping is a soft, biscuit-style dough made with buttermilk and a touch of sugar. It’s intentionally sticky, so spooning or dolloping it onto the fruit creates the characteristic “cobbled” appearance. The topping also includes vanilla bean for added aroma, though vanilla extract can be used instead. Before baking, brush the topping with melted butter and finish with a sprinkle of coarse sugar for a crisp, sweet crust.
Apricots release a fair amount of juice while baking, so place the ramekins on a baking sheet or a piece of foil to catch any overflow. Baked cobblers have tender, jammy apricots beneath a soft, buttery interior and a golden, sugary surface. The scent of vanilla is noticeable as soon as they come out of the oven. Serve warm, either alone or with vanilla ice cream. The recipe doubles easily to make eight individual cobblers.
Individual Vanilla Bean Apricot Cobblers
1 lb ripe apricots
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2–3 tbsp honey (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 tbsp butter, melted
coarse sugar for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Prepare the filling: Halve the apricots and remove the pits, then cut each half into thirds. Leave the skins on. In a medium bowl, combine the apricots with sugar, honey and salt. Taste and add an extra tablespoon of honey if the fruit is tart. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds; stir the seeds into the apricot mixture. If using vanilla extract, add it to the filling now.
Prepare the topping: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean (or the vanilla extract), then pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is uniform with no streaks of dry flour.
Divide the apricot filling among four 6-ounce ramekins. Dollop the topping over the fruit with a spoon or small spatula, creating uneven mounds for a rustic look. Brush the tops lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake on a baking sheet for 25–30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let the cobblers cool for at least five minutes before serving so the juices settle. Serve warm, optionally with vanilla ice cream.