Crock Pot Apple Cobbler is a crazy simple 7-ingredient dessert! Toss everything together and your slow cooker will take care of the rest!
This Crock Pot Apple Cobbler is a quick and easy but show-stopping dessert. Unlike my standard apple cobbler recipe, this one lets you make this classic cobbler in your slow cooker, which I often forget is an amazing tool for desserts! With only a handful of ingredients, this Crock Pot cobbler lets you have your oven and attention free for dinner or family time!
CROCK POT APPLE COBBLER
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Raise your hand if your Crock Pot is your favorite kitchen companion. I can’t be the only one!
While my slow cooker has always been one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, it’s especially useful for throwing together soups and other comfort foods. BUT did you know that your slow cooker isn’t just for savory stuff? Crock Pot desserts are some of the easiest recipes out there! Especially if they use cake mix. (I have a thing with cake mix recipes. These cake mix snickerdoodle cookies are ah-amazing! You’re going to love them.)
Last year, I found myself buried in apples and, after exhausting myself by hand-making my go-to apple turnover recipe, I turned to my slow cooker to make a batch of apple butter. The results were fantastic and I knew that I needed to stop using my Crock Pot just for savory meals, and after a bit of experimentation this sweet Crock Pot Apple Cobbler was born!
This Apple Cobbler can be made with just a handful of ingredients, and using a package of vanilla cake for the topping saves even more time while making a perfectly soft and flavorful topping that pairs nicely with the sweet apples.
Apple Cobbler Ingredients
- Apples, of course – about 6 medium apples should be enough, peeled and sliced
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Lemon juice
- A box of yellow cake mix – trust me here!
- Unsalted butter, sliced
For things like apple cobblers and pies, I prefer Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Or Honeycrisp apples. These varieties keep their structure when cooking but soften just enough. If you prefer a tart taste, go Granny Smith or Golden Delicious. If you’re a fan of a sweeter apple, try Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or even Gala in a pinch!
This Crock Pot Apple Cobbler is as easy as a dump cake! Turn on your slow cooker and prep all your ingredients for a simple Crock Pot dessert recipe your kids can help with.
How to Make Apple Cobbler in a Crock Pot
- Start by combining your sliced and peeled apples with some brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and a little bit of lemon juice. Mix everything together well! This becomes your base.
- Next, lightly butter your Crock Pot and layer the apple mixture into it.
- Then, sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over your apples, ignoring any directions on the box. Dot the top of the cake mix with small pats of butter.
- Finally, cook on high for about 2 and a half hours, or until the moisture from the apples will soak into the cake mix as the apple cobbler cooks, giving you perfectly soft and caramelized apples with a sweet vanilla topping.
This cobbler tastes wonderful straight out of the Crock Pot, but for the best results, I definitely recommend topping it off with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and maybe a dash of cinnamon!
Cobbler vs. Crisp
What’s the difference between an apple cobbler and a crock pot apple crisp? They’re both delicious fruit-based baked desserts filled with cinnamon and sugar, but what makes them different?
- Traditionally, a cobbler is made with a type of dough, like pie dough or biscuit dough, to give it a thick, cakey texture swirled through the fruit.
- A crisp, on the other hand, is topped with — you guessed it! — a crispy, crunchy crust topping like oats, nuts, and a little flour over the sweet, cooked apples.
While the flavor profiles are definitely the same, the toppings make the difference between these two Crock Pot desserts.
Want more apple dessert ideas?
- French Apple Cobbler
- Crock Pot Crunch Pecan Apple Cobbler
- Apple Cider Snickerdoodles
- Caramel Apple Poke Cake
- Apple Pie Oatmeal Bars
- More dessert recipes…
Tools used to make this Crock Pot Apple Cobbler recipe
Mixing Bowl: These mixing bowls are perfect for mixing and beautiful enough for serving. I love the varied sizes so I always have to right size bowl for all my mixing needs.
Wooden Spoon: Wooden spoons are a kitchen essential. I keep a bunch of them on hand for every meal from breakfast to dessert.
Slow Cooker: I love this crock pot! The lid is very secure and I can pack it up and take it on the go if I’m heading to a potluck. This slow cooker is a workhorse in my kitchen and has worked great for years!
*This post originally posted on 02/19/2018.
Ingredients
- 6 medium-sized apples (about 2.5-3 pounds) cored, peeled and sliced
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
- ½ cup unsalted butter cut into 16 pieces
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together apple slices, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt until well-combined.
- Lightly butter the bottom and sides of your slow cooker basin.
- Layer apple mixture evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle yellow cake mix evenly over apple layer.
- Scatter butter pieces evenly overtop the cake mix.
- Cover crockpot and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 hours.
- Serve warm, preferably topped with vanilla ice cream.
Liz Coker says
THANK YOU so much for this recipe!! My daughter, who is turning 27 this year, specifically requested this as her “birthday cake”. Unfortunately for me, my mother-in-law passed away rather quickly last December and I never got the recipe from her. I knew the basics and knew it had cake mix in it. All of the recipes I’d come across so far did not have the cake mix or it had some other variation that wasn’t the same as what we all remember. Your recipe, though, is EXACTLY what I’m looking for! Thank you so much!
Giovanna says
I was very disappointed by the recipe, however my husband liked it. I’m used to have a crunchy based apple cobbler and this was like having a soggy cake with apples. Would not recommend.
Debbie says
What size crockpot?
Susan Hafner says
Can you substitute peaches for the apples
Jennifer Kimmel says
Hey Susan! Yes! Peaches would be perfect…I love peach cobbler!
A.M. says
I find it interesting you say in your comment that the best desserts are sweet, simple, and “made from scratch,” when this recipe calls for a commercially made cake mix.
Mason says
I disagree. You could argue the same for just about any ingredient… BBQ Sauce, Hot Sauce, Ranch, etc…
Rachael C says
So I’m not sure if its because I have a small crock pot but even at about 1/2 to 3/4 of the recipe, it takes about 4.5 hours for the cake mix topping to actually finish cooking. Other than that the recipe is great!
Aubrey Cota says
Interesting, I have to wonder if your heating setting might be slightly off. Cooking temperatures can vary for so many reasons, a huge one would be not adjusting for altitude. Just like ovens, slow cooker temperatures can also vary due to the brand, care of appliance, the age of the appliance, etc…