This chocolate stone fruit cobbler for two celebrates some of the juiciest fruits of summer! This easy small batch cobbler recipe features peaches, plums, and cherries and is topped with a sugar-studded chocolate biscuit. The fresh fruit combined with the chocolate biscuit makes for a light, bright, and sweet bite!
Chocolate Stone Fruit Cobbler
Can you have a summer dessert lineup that doesn’t include a cobbler? Or fresh, in-season stone fruit for that matter? For this small batch cobbler, I wanted a recipe that celebrated seasonal stone fruit and a flavor element to complement it. The answer – chocolate biscuits.
I love a good, buttery, and flaky Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit. So why not turn it into a sweeter chocolate dessert? First, the crunchy top that biscuits get when baked is a great vehicle to deliver the soft fruit cobbler filling. And second, chocolate goes with just about anything!
Delicious Details
- Easy – Making homemade biscuits is easy, and these chocolate biscuits are even easier than their savory counterpart. The dough is scooped, rather than shaped and cut with a biscuit cutter.
- Fresh Fruit – The bounty of fresh fruit that appears in summer should be celebrated. The peaches, plums, and cherries are the stars in this mini dessert.
- Robust Cocoa Flavor – If you say chocolate biscuit, I want to taste chocolate. However, don’t expect a piece of chocolate cake. These are still biscuits to the core with their texture and light sweetness.
- Lightly Sweet – Again, no chocolate cake here. We do add a little more sugar than your standard buttermilk biscuit. But not so much that all you taste is sugar. Let’s leave the sweetness to the fruit cobbler filling!
- Crunchy Tops – We achieve the crunchy tops two ways; 1. the crunchy biscuit itself, and 2. a little extra sugar sprinkle on top!
Key Ingredients
- Stone Fruit – Peaches, plums, cherries, and/or nectarines – and always fresh when in season! Or, any fruit or berry would work.
- Cornstarch – This is to help thicken the fruit cobbler filling.
- All-Purpose Flour – For a gluten free version, you could try a cup4cup gluten free flour blend.
- Cocoa Powder – Dutch or natural cocoa work. I prefer Dutch cocoa for a bold cocoa flavor.
- Granulated Sugar – You can swap in your favorite granulated sugar.
- Salt – Salt will balance and enhance all the flavors in the chocolate cobbler.
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk will make the cobbler topping tender and flavorful.
- Unsalted Butter – I like to use unsalted butter in the cobbler topping since we add salt.
Helpful Tips
- Use fresh fruit – Fresh fruit is brighter, sweeter, juicier, yummier … you get the point. However, frozen fruit (not thawed) can work if needed.
- Sweeten to taste – This is a fruit dessert, so I prefer to let the sweetness of the fruit shine. You can always add more sugar to the fruit filling if you prefer.
- The colder the butter, the better – Even though the chocolate biscuits are not your traditional buttermilk biscuit, they still require key ingredients that make them biscuits; cold butter, and buttermilk. Both yield a tender and fluffy biscuit. I freeze my butter and grate it on a cheese box grater for my biscuits.
- Double up for more – This is a small batch recipe that can be doubled if you prefer.
- Serve with ice cream or whipped cream – Chocolate stone fruit cobbler is always more fun topped with a dollop of ice cream or even homemade whipped coconut cream!
Recipe FAQ
For this recipe, Dutch-processed or natural cocoa powder will work. I prefer Dutch-processed cocoa because of the flavor and it is less acidic.
I would recommend reheating in the oven, covered, at 350F, until the filling is bubbly. Reheating in the microwave may cause the biscuits to get chewy.
You could prepare the fruit filling ahead of time. However, I would not recommend making the chocolate biscuits in advance. They may night have the same light and fluffy texture.
Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. Beyond that, the biscuit topping may start to soften.
More Summer Fruit Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Stone Fruit Cobbler For Two
Equipment
- 2 – Small Pie Dishes
Ingredients
Chocolate Biscuits
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (plus more for tops of the biscuits)
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 1/4 cup buttermilk, cold
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stone Fruit Filling
- 2 cups stone fruit, cut into slices (peaches, plums, and cherries)
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.
Chocolate Biscuits
- Cold Butter – I like to grate my butter and put it in the freezer until ready to use. Otherwise, cut the butter into cubes and use your fingertips to press the butter cubes into small flat, flaky discs (about the size of a nickel) – making sure they are all coated with flour.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/8 teaspoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Add the grated butter to the dry ingredients (see above if using butter cubes). Gently stir to coat the butter pieces. Then pour in the buttermilk and vanilla, and stir the batter until no dry streaks remain. Refrigerate until ready to use.2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, 1/4 cup buttermilk, cold, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Stone Fruit Filling
- Cut the peaches and plums into thick slices (I cut mine a little bigger than 1/4 inch). Pit the cherries and either keep whole or slice into halves. Note – I left the skin on the peaches and plums. If you prefer, you can peel them.2 cups stone fruit, cut into slices
- Sprinkle the corn starch and sugar over the fruit. Stir to coat. Note – You can add more/less sugar to the fruit. Keep in mind the fruit is naturally sweet.2 teaspoons corn starch, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Pour the fruit filling equally into 2 serving dishes (I used 4-inch pie dishes), or into one 6-Inch pie or casserole dish.
- Using a small cookie scoop or serving spoon, scoop dollops of the chocolate biscuit batter on top of the fruit filling. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with granulated sugar.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the fruit filling is bubbly. Note – If using small pie dishes, you can place the dishes on a small baking sheet so they sit on the oven rack easily.
- Let the cobblers cool on a wire cooling rack for 5 to 10 minutes. The cobblers are best enjoyed warm with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.
RECIPE NOTES
- Serving Size – This is a small batch recipe that is easily doubled.
- Yield – As written, the recipe will yield 2 to 4 servings.
- Fruit – Swap in any fresh or frozen fruit you prefer. If using frozen, there is no need to thaw.
- Buttermilk – You can make homemade buttermilk. Add 3/4 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Add milk to the 1/4 cup line, stir, and let sit for 10 – 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Storage – Cover and refrigerate the cobbler for up 2 to 3 days. You can reheat in a warm oven or microwave.
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about the author ...
I'm Erin and I'm all about desserts - and a little bit of butter!
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