Sweet Potato Cobbler is a Southern dessert of tender sweet potato slices baked in a cinnamon and ginger syrup between layers of buttery brown sugar dough. The top bakes golden and slightly crisp, and underneath, the potatoes sit in a thick, glossy syrup. Serve it warm, on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It serves 10.
How to make it: Simmer sliced sweet potatoes in water with sugar, cinnamon and ginger until tender but still firm. Crumble a third of a brown sugar dough into a 9×13-inch dish, add the potatoes and 1 cup of their syrup, crumble the rest of the dough on top and bake at 350°F for about 40 minutes, until golden.
Why You’ll Love It
- Fall in a baking dish: cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar with sweet potatoes, like pie in cobbler form.
- Crisp top, syrupy middle: the dough bakes golden while the potatoes stay soft in a thick syrup.
- Pantry ingredients: sweet potatoes, sugar, spices, self-rising flour, butter and milk.
- Dessert or side: serve it with ice cream after dinner, or warm beside a holiday ham.
Ingredient Notes
Sweet potatoes: Two pounds, peeled, halved and sliced about 1/4 inch thick. Even slices cook at the same speed.
Water, sugar and spices: Four cups of water with a cup of sugar, a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of ground ginger. The potatoes simmer in it, and it becomes the syrup.
Self-rising flour: A cup and a half. It already has the leavening and salt, so the dough needs nothing else to puff and brown.
Brown sugar and cinnamon: Half a cup of packed brown sugar and another teaspoon of cinnamon in the dough, plus 2 tablespoons of brown sugar sprinkled on top.
Cold butter and milk: Four tablespoons of cold unsalted butter cut into the flour, and just enough milk, 1/4 up to 1/2 cup, to bring the dough together.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for the potatoes)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for the dough)
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (for the dough)
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup milk, up to 1/2 cup as needed
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, for sprinkling on top
How to Make Sweet Potato Cobbler
1. Simmer the sweet potatoes. Heat the oven to 350°F. Put the sliced sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with the water, sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, until the potatoes are still firm but tender. Do not drain.
2. Make the dough. In a bowl, mix the self-rising flour, cinnamon and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or two large dinner forks. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring, until the mixture is combined. The dough will be crumbly and slightly sticky; use only as much milk as you need to get that texture.
3. Assemble the cobbler. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Crumble about a third of the dough into the bottom of the dish. Lift the potatoes out of the pan with a slotted spoon and spread them evenly in the dish. Measure 1 cup of the cooking liquid and pour it over the potatoes. Crumble the remaining dough over the top and sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
4. Bake. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the dough is cooked through.
5. Rest and serve. Let the cobbler rest for about 10 minutes so the sauce can thicken, then serve warm.
Firm Sweet Potatoes and a Thick Syrup
The two things that make or break this cobbler are the texture of the potatoes and the thickness of the syrup. Both are easy to get right:
| Goal | How to get it |
|---|---|
| Potatoes that hold their shape | Simmer only 10 to 12 minutes, until a fork goes in but the slices are still firm; they finish cooking in the oven |
| Even cooking | Slice them all about 1/4 inch thick |
| Syrup, not soup | Lift the potatoes out with a slotted spoon and pour over just 1 cup of the cooking liquid |
| An even thicker syrup | Boil the cooking liquid until it’s reduced by about half before pouring it over |
| Sauce that sets | Rest the baked cobbler 10 minutes before serving |
Don’t boil them soft. Mushy potatoes turn into mash under the dough. Take them off the heat while they still have some bite.
Don’t drain the pot. That spiced, sugary water is the syrup. Save it, and use a slotted spoon so you control how much liquid goes into the dish.
Tips for Success
Keep the dough crumbly
It should look like a shaggy, slightly sticky crumble, not a smooth biscuit dough. Add the milk a little at a time and stop as soon as it comes together.
Don’t fuss over the butter
A pastry blender or two dinner forks is all you need to cut the cold butter into the flour. Small, pea-size pieces are fine.
Protect your oven
If your dish is very full, set a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any syrup that bubbles over.
Variations
- Orange: add 1 tablespoon of orange zest to the simmering pot and another to the dough.
- Warmer spices: simmer the potatoes with 1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- In a skillet: bake it in a large cast-iron skillet instead of a 9×13-inch dish.
- Batter-style: pour a smooth self-rising flour batter over buttered, cinnamon-sugared sweet potato cubes in a 10-inch skillet or 3-quart dish, and bake until golden.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftover cobbler within 2 hours in a shallow covered container. USDA FSIS says to eat leftovers within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Thaw frozen cobbler in the refrigerator.
Reheat portions covered, in the oven or microwave, until they reach 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for dessert, or as a sweet side with a holiday dinner. If you love sweet potatoes, try sweet potatoes with marshmallows or a Ruth’s Chris sweet potato casserole. For more warm, old-fashioned desserts, make a pecan pie cobbler, a chocolate cobbler, a slow cooker strawberry cobbler or apple dumplings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in sweet potato cobbler?
Sliced sweet potatoes simmered in water with sugar, cinnamon and ginger, layered with a crumbly dough of self-rising flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cold butter and milk, and baked until golden.
Why are my sweet potatoes mushy?
They simmered too long. Cook the slices only until a fork goes in but they’re still firm, about 10 to 12 minutes; they finish softening in the oven.
How do I make the syrup thicker?
Pour over only 1 cup of the cooking liquid, or boil the liquid until it’s reduced by about half first. Then let the baked cobbler rest 10 minutes before serving.
Can I serve it as a side dish?
Yes. It’s sweet enough for dessert, but it’s also good warm next to a holiday ham or turkey.
Can I freeze sweet potato cobbler?
Yes, for 3 to 4 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator and reheat it covered to 165°F.
Final Notes
Slice the sweet potatoes evenly and pull them off the heat while they’re still firm, and the rest takes care of itself. If you make it, tell me in the comments whether you served it for dessert or on the dinner table.
Sweet Potato Cobbler
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes peeled, halved and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon for the potatoes
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon for the dough
- 1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed, for the dough
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
- 1/4 cup milk up to 1/2 cup, added a little at a time, only as much as the dough needs
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Put the sliced sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with the water, sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, until the potatoes are still firm but tender. Do not drain.
- In a bowl, mix the self-rising flour, cinnamon and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or two large dinner forks. Slowly pour in the milk while stirring, until the mixture is combined. The dough will be crumbly and slightly sticky; use only as much milk as you need.
- Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Crumble about a third of the dough into the bottom of the dish. Lift the potatoes out of the pan with a slotted spoon and spread them evenly in the dish. Measure 1 cup of the cooking liquid and pour it over the potatoes. Crumble the remaining dough over the top and sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the dough is cooked through.
- Let the cobbler rest for about 10 minutes so the sauce can thicken, then serve warm.
