Learn how to make a delicious cherry cobbler using tart or sour cherries, particularly the Montmorency variety.
📋 What's New In This Post (7/16/25) - Added more info on tart cherries and ideas on how to keep the cobbler from being too runny.
Celebrating Cherry Season with a Cobbler
Why do we call a dessert a cobbler? The name comes from the way the ingredients are “cobbled” together. The word cobble means “to put together clumsily”—and that’s the beauty of it. Cobbler isn’t fancy or fussy, but it can be full of bold, seasonal flavor when made with the right ingredients. Is there a difference between a cobbler and a crisp? Check that link you to learn more.
Cobbler is the perfect, no-stress dessert to showcase the best fruit of the season. And in July, that means cherries—specifically tart or sour cherries. When I started baking with them, a whole new world of flavor opened up.
While fresh tart cherries can be hard to find, I’ve been lucky enough to pick them myself at orchards in Michigan and Utah.
The year I picked them in beautiful Santaquin, Utah, they were just 99 cents a pound for u-pick—which was an amazing value. I picked a ton and made cobbler, of course, along with plenty of jam.
Come along as I share more about tart cherries and show you how to make a simple cobbler that truly lets them shine.
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🛒 Ingredients
Here is what you will need to make this cobbler.
- cold salted butter cut into cubes
- brown sugar
- all-purpose flour
- turbinado sugar for sprinkling (optional)
- pinch of kosher salt
- tart cherries
- white sugar
- potato or tapioca starch
Tart Cherries
It all starts with the cherries. They need to taste good. And for the best results they need to be tart cherries. These cherries provide the most flavor as well as the tartness to balance out all the sugar.
The most common tart cherry variety is the Montmorency. They are named after a region in France that is known for being where tart cherries were first cultivated. They are a bright red color with a soft skin. I am also a fan of the Balaton that is darker in color, is a little sweeter, with a flavor I like better. But you can't go wrong with either if you can find them. Balaton cherries are a lot harder to find, even frozen.
Fresh tart cherries would be best, but most people won't have access to them. Michigan and Utah are the top two tart cherry growing states in the country. Every July I have been able to find them when I was in one of those states. They arrive later in the cherry season than many of the sweet cherries such as Bing.
Frozen will have to be the option for the majority. With the rise in popularity of sour cherries you can find them in most major grocery stores freezer section.
You can still use sweet cherries, try to pick them when they are in peak season for the best results.
Sugar
You may think that sugar is a pretty basic ingredient that you don't need to think much about, but I want to give you something to think about with the sugars I use in my cobbler recipes.
- Did you know you can make your own brown sugar at home in a food processor Homemade brown sugar tastes so much better than store bought and you can make it as dark or light as you want depending on how much molasses you add.
- Another option would be to use Muscovado Sugar. This is a natural unrefined sugar that has hints of caramel in it's flavor. It's the only thing better than homemade brown sugar.
- I like to sprinkle Turbinado Sugar on top. This is a sugar that doesn't dissolve in the oven, so it leaves a nice little crunch on the top of the cobbler. It's optional but a nice addition.
💡 Ideas to Prevent a Runny Cobbler
The last thing I want is a cherry cobbler with filling that runs all over the plate. With apple cobbler, that’s usually not a problem—but cherries are juicier and need a little help. Here’s what I recommend:
- To prevent a runny mess, mix some potato starch—or even better, tapioca flour—into the cherries to help thicken the juices as they cook. Many recipes use cornstarch, which works too, but I find tapioca gives a better texture.
- For best results, toss the cherries with the sugar first and let them sit for about 15 minutes. This draws out some of the juice. Then stir in the starch once the fruit has released its liquid.
- If you want to be precise, you can use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness. The filling should set around 200°F.
Easy Montmorency Tart Cherry Cobbler
Ingredients
For the topping
- 4 tablespoons cold salted or unsalted butter cut into cubes
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- turbinado sugar for sprinkling optional
- pinch of kosher salt
For the filling
- 1 quart tart cherries
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- 3 teaspoons potato starch or tapioca flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine the cherries and white sugar in a square baking dish. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and then add in the starch and mixed to combine.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and flour. Add the butter. Using your hands rub the butter into the sugar/flour mix until it's the texture of cornmeal.
- Evenly distribute the topping on the cherries. Sprinkle on some turbinado sugar on top (optional)
- Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the topping has browned and the fruit is thicken. It needs to reach 200 degrees when checked with an instant read thermometer. Allow to cool until the fruit sets up before serving. Can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature.
Sarah Kuhner
Looks delicious! I want to go pick tart cherries and make this now!
Eric Samuelson
Thanks! You might be able to find some to pick in Michigan still at this point.