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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.
Hi Tieghan! This recipe looks delicious and I’m going to be making it as a non-cake birthday dessert for my partner. I only have frozen strawberries to use–would you thaw them before using or throw them in frozen? I’m going to have to make it in a casserole dish rather than a skillet. Thank you!!
Hi Tina,
No need to thaw the strawberries. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This recipe was delicious!!! When I made it my biscuits didn’t really turn out layered or flaky how yours are, the insides kind of a mixed. Do you have any idea what I might have done wrong?
When is the kosher salt used?
Hi Jess,
Sorry for the confusion, add this in step 2 in the food processor. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Just made this! Unfortunately, the strawberries were more on the bitter side than sweet so the dish was not good…I used frozen strawberries. Not sure why it came out like this 🙁 I followed all the instructions!
Hi Dinali,
so sorry to hear this. I am not quite sure what would have happened, your strawberries shouldn’t be bitter. I am wondering how long they have been in the freezer for? xTieghan
Taste is great and biscuits are amazing. Mine turned out very runny though. Too much liquid, even when it cooled down. Not sure what I did differently.
Hi Stacy,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! Sorry you had extra liquid, I am wondering if you adjusted the recipe at all? Also using a cast iron skillet really helps to thicken the juices. Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I made this recipe last night! My husband LOVED it. I 1/4th the recipe so I could just cook them in 2 mini ramekins. I would probably not put cream cheese in between the layers again, as my husband and i both liked the biscuit by itself. I loved the strawberry part! I’ll add a pinch of salt to it next time!
Love that!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Victoria! xTieghan
Looks delish!!!! Super layered flaky biscuit tips….freeze your butter then grate it. This recipe method can actually be used on almost any biscuit recipe with success- I use all butter, no shortening.
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/11/the-worlds-best-biscuits-recipe.html
Thank you so much Lea! xTieghan
I made this recipe for father’s day and it was a huge hit. Even my brother loved it and he is not big on cooked fruits in anything! Thank you! I’m sure I will make it again.
Thank you so much Alex! I am so glad this one was such a hit for you all! xTieghan
This is good, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t think it’s great and I can’t quite put my finger on why. I wish there were metric measurements for the biscuits, I don’t think the flour to butter ratio was quite right, they just weren’t flaky. They definitely weren’t salted enough. The strawberry mixture is delicious, for sure, but I felt like it was a bit wasted on the biscuits, and especially if you add vanilla ice cream, the flavor was complete lost. I love hbh recipes, this is the most critical I have been, but I am disappointed!
Hi! I am sorry this did not turn out as expected! If you have any questions, please let me know! I hope you love all of my other recipes! xTieghan
This looks amazing and I am looking forward to attempting! I am taking dessert today for a Father’s Day cook out (very small – observing safe distancing…) and was hoping to make the components ahead, but assemble and bake on site. Will it affect the biscuits ti be frozen for a couple hours and then placed in fridge while reheating the sauce in the skillet?
Hi Amph,
This will be fine to do as long as the biscuits are thawed before baking! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Can’t wait to make this! If I use fresh strawberries do I freeze them prior to using?
Hi Katie,
Nope, you can just use the fresh strawberries as is. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Do you add the entire cup of buttermilk to the dough? Or just add until it looks shaggy? What does shaggy dough look like? Thx!
Hi Beverley,
Yes you will use the entire cup of buttermilk. Shaggy looks like small pillow pieces. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This dish was SOO good! My food processor did not blend the flour and butter etc. AT ALL. So I just used a pastry cutter and it worked just fine. Will definitely do this again. I loved the technique in making the biscuits. We even topped it with whipped cream as well!
Love to hear that!! Thank you so much Tobi!! xTieghan
Looks fabulous! Question: what can I substitute for the bourbon?
Hi Becky,
You can simply omit the bourbon. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Can you make and freeze biscuits beforehand? Want to take this to the beach and thinking if I pre made biscuit dough I could throw together once there? Should I freeze dough solid?
Hi Hilary,
Yes you can make the biscuits and freeze just be sure to let them thaw before baking. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan