When my mom’s friend left  15 pounds of plums on her doorstep, mom politely picked out a few for my dad to eat and then gave the rest to me. People seem to know that if you give me 15 pounds of fruit, I’ll find a way to use it. I always do.

I have made this cobbler several times in the past couple of years and it’s always well received. I made it last week for book club and the girls scarfed it up. Seldom do such easy desserts get such rave reviews!

Plums vary widely in tartness, so do buy an extra one to taste so you can adjust your sugar accordingly. The last time I made this, I didn’t use enough sugar so had to serve it with scoops of vanilla ice cream. So much for that “light” bit!

light plum cobbler
recipe from The Best Light Recipe

filling

1 3/4 pounds (6-8) plums, pitted and quartered
1/4 – 1/2 cup sugar (taste your plums first to determine how sweet they are and how much sugar you might need!)
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

biscuit topping

1 cup (5 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
3 tbsp yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup plus 2 tsp sugar, divided
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

For the filling: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the fruit filling ingredients together in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fruit releases its liquid and is hot and bubbling around the edges, 20 to 30 minutes.

For the biscuit topping: Meanwhile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup of the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla. Set aside. In a third small bowl, mix together the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar and with the cinnamon. Set aside.

When the filling is ready, stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and no pockets of flour remain. Remove the cobbler from the oven and stir. Pinch off 8 equal pieces of the biscuit dough and arrange them on top of the hot filling, spaced 1/2-inch apart. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with the cinnamon sugar.

Continue to bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through and the filling is again hot and bubbling, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream.