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Home » Recipes » Desserts » Easy Gluten-Free Plum Cobbler

Easy Gluten-Free Plum Cobbler

Posted August 19, 2020, Updated November 25, 2021 //  by Michele Peterson 10 Comments

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Gluten-free Plum Cobbler in a pan with Pinterest text overlay

This delicious gluten-free plum cobbler features fresh, sweet plums topped with a biscuity topping made with a blend of  masa harina corn flour and white rice flour.

It’s super simple to throw together and makes the most of the delicious flavours of plum season.

Why Make This Gluten-Free Plum Cobbler? 

skillet with plum cobbler and a bowl of plum cobbler

There’s nothing that celebrates the end of summer quite like ripe, blue plums. In Canada and many parts of the United States, these beauties reach their peak ripeness in early August and are available in farmer’s markets, supermarkets and roadside fruit stands everywhere. 

I buy them by the basketful for eating fresh or to enjoy in preserves, main course dishes and deep dish fruit desserts such as fruit cobblers and fruit crisps as well as upside down cakes. 

Of all the baked summer fruit desserts, cobblers are among the easiest. They’re so easy to make I actually thought the name “cobbler” came from how quickly a person could cobble together the ingredients.

But the history of cobblers goes back much further than that! You’d be surprised to discover the rich  history and legends of cobblers, crumbles and pandowdies. 

ripe red and blue plums on a wooden table dp
Use any combination of ripe red and blue plums in this recipe.

A Masa Harina Dessert 

While it’s popular to make plum cobblers with a classic drop biscuit or Bisquick topping, this gluten-free option to the classic cobbler recipe features Maseca (masa harina) corn flour.

I love how the slightly nutty flavour of masa harina makes the perfect complement to the sweet, jammy flavour of fresh plums. 

Plus there are other things I love about this plum recipe:  

  • This fresh plum recipe calls for a lot of plums so is the perfect way to take advantage of all the great deals on fresh fruit sold during plum season. 
  • This recipe is also a great way to use up any extra masa harina you’ve got on hand if you purchased a bag of Maseca (instant corn flour) to make Guatemalan champurrada cookies, tortillas, pupusas or many any other Latin American dishes.  Maseca is the best known commercial brand of corn flour. It’s totally gluten-free and since a 2 kg bag goes really far in the kitchen, this plum cobbler recipe is a great way to enjoy it!   
  • The pretty purple hue of this dessert makes an impressive finish to a summer meal. 

Ingredients 

The shining star of this dessert is its fresh summer plums. You can use any variety of plum that’s in season. But I love blue or purple plums as they are exceptionally juicy and sweet.

When cooked, their dusky midnight-blue skin merges with their pale flesh to transform into a brilliant pink magenta sauce that reminds me of sunset, sunrise and sweet pea flowers all rolled into one vivid hue.

Ingredients for plum dessert with text overlap

Summer plums are so pretty I’m tempted to paint my entire wall in my house that exact colour!

But I’ve satisfied my purple cravings by collecting vintage plates and handwoven textiles from the Cooperativo de Tintoreros de Pinotepa Don Luis near Puerto Escondido, Mexico.

It’s one of the few places in the world that harvests the natural dye known as “royal purple” from the purpura pansa marine snail. But back to the recipe… 

Plum cobbler on a vintage Old Foley James Kent Staffordshire Chinese Rose plate featuring magenta flowers, birds and green trim.
Plum cobbler with 100% masa harina flour on a vintage Old Foley James Kent Staffordshire Chinese Rose plate. 

Although you can easily use your fave biscuit recipe or Bisquick (get a recipe for homemade Bisquick here) or store-bought pre-made biscuit dough for this cobbler recipe, I went with a mix of white rice flour and masa corn flour.

My Guatemala-born husband likes to eat tortillas with almost every meal which means we’ve always got a bag of Maseca in the house.

Masa harina is a maize dough that comes from ground nixtamalized corn so it’s a great option if you’re following a gluten-free diet. 

a bag of Maseca on a counter with text overlay of ingredients for plum cobbler
These are the ingredients you need to make a 100% masa harina biscuit topping.

While most popularly used for main dishes, the sweet, nutty flavour of masa harina corn flour is versatile enough to works perfectly in this plum dessert recipe. To make this biscuit topping you’ll need: 

  • Masa harina (instant corn flour mix) and/or a mix of white rice flour  and masa harina
  • Brown sugar 
  • baking powder 
  • shortening
  • egg
  • milk 

Using masa dough produces a crispy, slightly nutty, biscuity topping.  In order to make the biscuit topping lighter and fluffier, I often use a blend of half masa harina and half white rice flour for this recipe.  

Step by Step Instructions 

Plums on cutting board with other ingredients for plum cobbler

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Wash and pit plums, cut into slices. Add the butter and plums to a cast iron skillet.

Once the butter has melted, add the sugar (reserve one tablespoon to sprinkle over the topping), lemon juice, cinnamon, salt and freshly grated nutmeg.

Note: If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet just use whatever skillet you have handy. Then transfer the fruit to an 8 by 8 inch baking dish before you add the topping. I like to use a clear Pyrex dish to showcase the beautiful purple colour of the cooked fruit.  

Combine the fruit, sugar and spice mixture well.

Cook on medium high heat until mixture starts to boil. Then, lower heat to simmer for 7 minutes.

two stages of plums cooking in skillet

Mix together cornstarch, masa harina and water until well combined. Stir into the plum mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes until liquid has thickened.

Remove from heat. While the plums are cooling, prepare the topping. 

Cooked plums topped with biscuit

 

To Make the Biscuit Topping: 

Combine the gluten-free flour (masa harina or a mix of white rice flour and masa harina or your favourite GF flour) in a bowl with the brown sugar, baking powder and salt.

Note: The more masa harina you use, the crispier your topping will be. If you enjoy champurradas cookies (the Guatemalan version of biscotti) then you’ll love using a lot of masa harina in this recipe. If you want more of a fluffy topping, then use more of the white rice flour.  

Cut the shortening into the flour mixture finely using two knives or a pastry cutter. 

Beat egg slightly, add milk and combine with flour. Shape into a round dough, flatten to 3/4 inch thickness and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter or an inverted glass.  

Place the slices of biscuit dough in pieces on top of the plum mixture. Don’t worry if the pieces overlap or if there are gaps. The fruit mixture will bubble over the edges of the biscuits while cooking and hide any composition flaws. This plum cobbler is the ultimate in stress-free, no-fail desserts.

Sprinkle the reserved white sugar over the top.

Place into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until plum filling is bubbling and biscuit topping is golden brown.

Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream or heavy cream

Gluten-free Plum Crisp in a skillet beside a wooden bowl of cobbler
For a fluffy biscuit topping, use a higher proportion of white rice flour to masa harina.

Tips on Making Gluten-Free Plum Cobbler 

  • You can use a mix of yellow, purple or red plums – whatever is in season at the market. They’re all delicious! 
  • Don’t worry if the biscuits don’t cover the topping completely or if they crumble. The beauty of a cobbler is that the cooked fruit creates a sweet sauce that bubbles over and around the topping. It’s the ultimate stress-free dessert! 
  • If you’re using masa harina rather than gluten-free flour like almond or rice flour, the biscuits will be crispier and have more of a cornmeal-like texture.  
  • If the plums are very ripe, increase the cooking time in the pan by 3 minutes to reduce any additional juices.
  • If you have extra plums, use them up in this easy recipe for plum jam without pectin. It calls for just three ingredients! 
  • If you have leftover masa harina, use it up in this Guatemalan recipe for pulique, a Mayan chicken stew.  Or make some champurradas sesame seed cookies and freeze them.

How to Serve This Plum Dessert 

bowl of gluten-free cooked plums in a bowl with topping

  • Serve this plum cobbler plain, topped with vanilla ice-cream or with a generous pour of heavy cream. It’s also delicious with a dessert wine such as a vidal ice wine or a port. You can linger over dessert sipping a sweet drink and enjoy the remaining long, lazy days of summer. 
  • All cobblers are best served the day they’re baked. But you can save it in the fridge for up to three days and enjoy it cool as well. 
  • To save time, you can make the topping up to 24 hours in advance. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap tightly and store it in the fridge until ready to use.  

 

skillet with plum cobbler and a bowl of plum cobbler
Print
4.90 from 19 votes

Easy Gluten-free Plum Cobbler

American, Canadian
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Canadian, Latin American
Servings: 8
Calories: 315kcal
Author: Michele Peterson
Cost: $10

Equipment

  • Skillet
  • baking dish
  • cutting board
  • Bowl

Ingredients

  • 5 cups ripe plums washed and pitted
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons nutmeg freshly grated
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water

Biscuit Topping

  • 1 1/4 cups masa harina or white rice flour
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup shortening room temperature
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 1/2 cup milk
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Instructions

  • Preheat over to 375 degrees Farenheit
  • Wash and pit plums, slice into pieces lengthwise.
  • Add butter and plums to a cast-iron or oven-proof skillet along with white sugar (reserve one tablespoon to sprinkle on the topping), lemon juice, cinnamon, salt and freshly grated nutmeg.
    Combine well.
    If you don't have a cast-iron skillet just use a regular skillet to cook the fruit mixture and then transfer it when fully cooked to an 8 x8 inch baking dish.
  • Cook on medium-high heat until the fruit mixture comes to a boil, Reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, mix together cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into plum mixture and all it to cook and thicken for five minutes.
  • Combine the masa flour (or whatever GF flour you are using), baking powder and brown sugar in a bowl.
  • Cut in shortening using two knives or pastry cutter.
  • Beat egg in a bowl with a fork and combine with milk.
  • Add all at once to dry ingredients.
  • Form the dough into a ball and knead lightly. Place on a floured surface and pat or roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Using a small glass or cookie cutter, cut the biscuit dough into rounds.
  • Place the rounds biscuits on top of the plum mixture in the skillet or baking dish.
  • Sprinkle a tablespoon of white sugar over top.
  • Place into the pre-heated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until plum filling is bubbling and biscuits are a golden brown.
  • Serve warm with vanilla ice-cream or heavy cream.

Notes

  • You can use a mix of yellow, purple or red plums. They're all delicious! 
  • Don't worry if the biscuits don't cover the topping completely or if they crumble. The beauty of a cobbler dessert is that the cooked fruit creates a sweet sauce that bubbles over and around the topping. It's the ultimate stress-free dessert! 
  • If the plums are very ripe, increase the cooking time in the pan by 3 minutes to reduce any additional juices.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed to be accurate. It is created by online calculators and although we attempt to provide accurate nutritional information, the figures are only estimates.

Nutrition

Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 249mg | Potassium: 388mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 492IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @ATasteForTravel or tag #ATasteForTravel!

Save to Pinterest! 

Gluten-free Plum Cobbler in a skillet with Pinterest text overlay

text overlay on Pinterest image for plum dessert

Michele Peterson
Michele Peterson

Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico (or the nearest tropical beach), Michele Peterson is the founder of A Taste for Travel. Her award-winning travel and food writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source, National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and 100+ other publications.

Read more about Michele Peterson.

« Soothing Chamomile Iced Tea with Mint
Apple Cider Mojito Cocktail »

About Michele Peterson

Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico (or the nearest tropical beach), Michele Peterson is the founder of A Taste for Travel. Her award-winning travel and food writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source, National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and 100+ other publications.

Read more about Michele Peterson.

Previous Post: «fresh chamomile iced tea garnished with lemon and mint Soothing Chamomile Iced Tea with Mint
Next Post: Apple Cider Mojito Cocktail glass of apple cider mojito outdoors»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nancy

    January 09, 2021 at 8:00 pm

    how much milk is needed – it is not listed with ingredients?

    Reply
    • Michele Peterson

      January 11, 2021 at 11:41 am

      Thanks for noticing that Nancy! I’ve updated the recipe to show 1/2 cup milk.

  2. Debra

    August 23, 2020 at 9:57 pm

    5 stars
    I full basket of plums….and this is a beauty of a recipe….can’t wait!

    Reply
  3. Amanda Marie Boyle

    August 23, 2020 at 7:53 am

    5 stars
    Amazing dessert! Sometimes I shake it up and use a mix of peaches and plums – my favorite!

    Reply
  4. Mama Maggie's Kitchen

    August 22, 2020 at 9:06 pm

    5 stars
    This looks incredibly delicious. Yum!

    Reply
  5. Swathi

    August 22, 2020 at 11:44 am

    5 stars
    This Plum cobbler looks delicious . I have juicy plum in hand. Need to try it this is going to my dessert this weekend.

    Reply
  6. Sarah James

    August 22, 2020 at 9:23 am

    5 stars
    Your plum cobbler looks delicious. I love the sound of the crunchy topping from the masa harina, can’t wait to try this.

    Reply
  7. Chef Dennis

    August 22, 2020 at 6:04 am

    5 stars
    We are surely going to have this Gluten-Free Plum Cobbler for dessert!

    Reply
  8. Sue

    August 21, 2020 at 11:44 am

    5 stars
    This looks wonderful and so pretty! A bonus that it’s gluten free!

    Reply
  9. Emily Flint

    August 21, 2020 at 11:32 am

    5 stars
    This plum cobbler is to die for!! Thanks for all of the great tips and for the yummy recipe!

    Reply

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Michele Peterson in Tuscany Italy Credit Insight Vacations.

Hi, I'm Michele! Welcome to A Taste for Travel, one of the world’s top culinary travel blogs, welcoming over 1.5 million readers annually! 

Along with a team of expert travel writers, enthusiastic eaters and skilled photographers, we help readers plan incredible adventures and make delicious global recipes at home.

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