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Extra juicy, extra jammy, Skillet Strawberry Bourbon Cobbler…with layered cream cheese biscuits that are beyond words good! Every bite is layered with fresh strawberries and hints of bourbon. Then topped with buttery, flaky cream cheese layered biscuits. It’s so pretty, super simple to make, and you can swap out the strawberries for any berry you love. Or simply use a mix of all your favorites. Serve with whipped cream for brunch or vanilla ice cream for the perfect strawberry-filled spring dessert.
The calendar says it’s spring, our weather says it’s winter, but all is ok because fresh strawberries are back in season, and that makes me happy. The truth is, I continue to look at my google calendar every day only to see that we are deep into April…and I am still shocked every time. It just doesn’t feel like April. I’m not sure if it’s the weather or the quarantine, either way, it still feels like winter. How about all of you? I know I talked about this last week, but I’m ready for fresher eats, more color, and all the spring strawberries.
Thankfully we finally made it back to the grocery store for our weekly stock up. The fridge is now full of spring produce, strawberries, and well plenty of butter too. Because there seems to be no end in sight for all this baking madness! Which brings me to the simple, but then not so simple strawberry cobbler.
If you love anything strawberry…and you love anything buttery…then this is your Tuesday dessert! Trust me, this is so good.
And the smells that come from the oven as this cobbler bakes? Heavenly, like sweet springtime wafting through the air. So cheesy, but so true.
(adding cream cheese to the dough)
(stacking the squares of dough one on top of the other)
The inspiration.
Honestly, I hesitated to create this recipe. Did you guys really want a strawberry cobbler recipe? I feel like it’s maybe not that exciting. But then what do I do with all of my strawberries? And juicy cobblers are so delicious. Ahh, what’s a girl to do? I went back and forth (it’s what I do, it’s so not easy to be me!). Finally, something told me to just to go for it.
Here’s the thing, I’ve always found cobblers of any kind to be lacking in two areas – sauce and biscuits.
I’m looking for the perfect berry-filled sauce. One that’s full of juicy berries and so flavorful, but also has a “jammy” like quality. I feel like most often you get a runny sauce or a super thick sauce. And both tend to lack enough sweet berry flavor.
So this sauce is different. It’s cooked twice and it contains bourbon, which helps to highlight the intense strawberry flavor. It is delicious!
The second area is the biscuits. For the longest time, I’ve been looking to achieve a biscuit that’s tall, layered with butter, and extra flakey. I’ve gotten close, but this biscuit recipe nails it.
The Biscuits…are extra special.
The three secrets?
One, stacking the biscuits one on top of another to physically create layers. I read about this method on Bon Appètit and am so happy I gave it a try. It’s a game-changer and truly creates the perfect flaky, buttery biscuit. I tried to capture as many process photos as I could, to give you all visuals, but it’s easier than you’d think. Essentially you’re just cutting the biscuits, stacking them, and then rolling them out a second time. It’s kind of like laminating the biscuit dough.
And it works.
Secret two? Cream cheese in-between the layers. Yes. Cream cheese in-between the layers of buttery biscuit dough. The cream cheese adds a really nice “cream” flavor with every bite, which I particularly love when paired with berries.
And lastly, secret three. Freeze the biscuits for a few minutes before they go into the oven. This helps to re-chill the butter and in-turn gives your biscuits added flakiness. Just before baking brush the tops with butter and finish them with a sprinkling of coarse sugar. It adds the perfect crunch with every bite.
Plus, it’s that extra special touch that’s so pretty too!
Onto the strawberries…
While the biscuits spend time in the freezer, start on the strawberries. I used a simple mix of strawberries (you can use fresh or frozen), honey, bourbon, lemon, and vanilla.
But here’s the key to this strawberry filling. Unlike most cobbler recipes, we’re going to cook half of the strawberries ahead of baking to give them a start on cooking.
You’ll simply add about half the berries to a skillet (it does not need to be exact, you can eyeball it), bring them to a boil, and boil until their juices bubble up and the berries begin to soften. Remove the skillet from the heat, then add the remaining berries. This helps to create a more intense flavor and jam-like texture. With every bite you’ll get a sweet juicy jam-like sauce. It’s the best of both worlds, and it’s exactly what other cobbler recipes are missing.
At this point, add the biscuits to the strawberries and bake. As the berries bake, they burst, releasing their juices and creating a sweet bourbon and vanilla-scented sauce. It feels very “southern” and tastes delicious.
As you pull this skillet strawberry bourbon cobbler out of the oven, the sauce will be bubbling, and the biscuits perfectly golden. You should definitely have vanilla ice cream on hand, because cobbler is best enjoyed warm, with a generous scoop of sweet ice cream.
Perfect Tuesday treat for these late April days.
And yes, if you don’t have fresh berries, frozen work too. No excuses…happiest Tuesday baking. Enjoy!
Looking for other spring strawberry recipes? Try these.
Strawberry Glazed Chai Doughnuts
The Best Strawberry Shortcakes
Strawberry Ripple Almond Cheesecake
watch the how to video:
Lastly, if you make this skillet strawberry bourbon cobbler with layered cream cheese biscuits, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Skillet Strawberry Bourbon Cobbler with Layered Cream Cheese Biscuits
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 606 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) cold salted butter, cubed, plus melted butter, for brushing
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 ounces cold cream cheese, sliced into 3 slices
- coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Strawberries
- 6 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced (about 3 pounds)
- 1/4-1/3 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. To make the biscuits. In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and butter. Pulse until the mix clumps together to form larger pea-size balls. Drizzle in the buttermilk until the dough is "shaggy" looking. The dough will be a little dry.3. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and pat into 1-inch thick square. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Add 1 slice of cream cheese to 3 of the squares, gently pressing to flatten. Stack the cream cheese topped pieces on top of each other. Add the final piece (with no cream cheese) on top of the stack (see above photos). Press down to flatten. Dust the surface with flour and roll the dough into a 1 inch thick rectangle. Cut into 12 biscuits. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze 10 minutes, to chill.4. Meanwhile, make the filling. Combine half of the strawberries and the honey in an 11 to 12-inch oven-safe skillet set over high heat. Bring the berries to a boil and cook 5-10 minutes, until their juices are bubbling. Remove from the heat and add the remaining strawberries, cornstarch, bourbon (if using), lemon juice, and vanilla, tossing to combine.5. Remove the biscuits from the freezer, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Arrange the biscuits on top of the strawberries. Place the skillet on a baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden on top. Let cool 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp with ice cream.
Notes
To Make Ahead: the cobbler can be baked up to 2 days ahead and kept in the fridge. Serve at room temperature or warmed.
To Halve the Recipe: you can easily cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8-inch skillet, 8-9 inch pie plate, or a 8x8 inch square baking dish.
If You don't Have a Skillet: bake in a 9x13 inch baking dish or dish or similar size.
Biscuits: the layering method was adapted from Bon Appètit.
Do you think I could make this with spelt flour?
Hi Lisa,
I have not tested this with spelt flour, but I would recommend using gluten free flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Would it be ok to freeze the dough squares, once made in the morning, to have ready to cook in the evening?
Hi Afton,
I would just simply keep them in the fridge, no need to freeze if you are using them that same day. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This looks lovely! I don’t have cream cheese. Can I use something else or omit it altogether?
Hi Jocelyn,
You can omit the cream cheese. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I’m making this as I type! Will this freeze well
afterwards?
Hi Chi,
Yes that would be okay to do! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This tastes like my childhood! Thank you so much for this recipe! I grew up in Pennsylvania with German grandparents. My grandfather would make a strawberry pie every summer with this crazy thick top crust and we would like milk over it to eat it. I have a recipe but have never been able to replicate
It! This is the closest I have come. Thank you. It was a nice Mother’s Day treat to remember those who aren’t with us anymore!
Oh wow! That is so sweet! I am really glad this recipe brought back some great memories! I hope you had an amazing Mother’s Day! xTieghan
PERFECT biscuit recipe!! I have not tried the full recipe yet but I will later tonight… wanted to test the biscuits first for breakfast 🙂 Loved the addition of the cream cheese! I substituted 1 cup of whole wheat flour because I only had 2 1/2 cups of AP flour on hand and it still turned out fantastic. I also doubled the salt to 1/2 tsp because I use unsalted butter. This will be my new go-to biscuit recipe! One question- what are your thoughts on cooking time if I use frozen biscuits on top? I usually make big batches and then freeze my un-baked biscuits right away for later use. Thanks again for another winner recipe girl!
Hi Amanda,
So glad you have enjoyed this recipe! I would recommend to thaw the frozen biscuits before baking and follow the recipe as is. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
My honey is expired. Can I use sugar instead!?
I love this recipe and want to try it. Can I sub whisky for the bourbon?
Hi Preya!
Yes that should work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This dish is amazing.
I must admit the rolling of the cream cheese into layers thing was at first intimidating, but it was all in my head,
Easier than I thought, and impressive results.
Baked strawberries for the win!
Thank you so much! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you Zsa! xTieghan
This recipe was so yummy, but unfortunately the biscuits didn’t turn out the best for me – SALT was listed in the ingredients list but not in the instructions – so I did not add salt to the recipe. 🙁 Unfortunately I realize it a little too late!
But the rest was so yummy! It smelled amazing!
Hi Kelsey! I am sorry about that. I am glad you still enjoyed this cobbler! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it was amazing! Followed the recipe exactly as written. The only thing is that the biscuits sunk into the berry mixture when I placed them on top, so they didn’t cook up as flaky as I’d want. Next time I will probably try to reduce the mixture a bit when cooking so that the biscuits rest mostly on top. I also left one biscuit out of the skillet (it didn’t fit) and baked it separately and it was delicious on its own drizzled with a bit of honey. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you for trying this Lisa! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This turned out great! I was only able to find self rising flour at the grocery so I figured I’d make some biscuits. I used a mix of blueberries and strawberries and I halved the recipe. I have never had a flakier biscuit in my life. I agree I would just make these biscuits again for an anytime snack!
Thank you so much Alexis! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
the ingredient list for the biscuits includes salt, but it’s not in the instructions. did you leave it out because you used salted butter? thanks!
Hi Amy,
Sorry go ahead and the salt in the food processor in step 2. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
If I don’t have a food processor can I mix the dough by hand?
Hi Erika,
Yes that will work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was so delicious! The biscuits were like little pillows so light and airy! I will be making again and again!
Thank you so much Sandi! xTieghan