Delicious & Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Cobbler: A Flaky Fall Favorite!
Get ready to redefine your pumpkin pie experience! This incredible Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Cobbler is a delightful twist on a classic, offering all the beloved flavors of pumpkin pie without the common pitfall of a soggy bottom crust. Imagine a rich, creamy pumpkin custard nestled beneath a beautifully golden, crispy, and flaky gluten-free topping. It’s essentially an “upside-down” pumpkin pie, crafted to deliver pure autumnal bliss in every spoonful. Whether you’re navigating dietary restrictions or simply looking for an exciting new way to enjoy pumpkin season, this cobbler promises a truly satisfying dessert that will quickly become a cherished tradition in your home.
While this recipe playfully breaks traditional pie rules, some customs are simply too good to abandon. For instance, a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream is non-negotiable! That’s a fundamental pumpkin pie principle that beautifully complements the warm, spiced custard and crisp topping. The contrast of the cool, airy cream against the warm, tender cobbler creates a truly divine mouthful.
Make This Your Way: Gluten-Free or Traditional
This recipe is incredibly versatile, designed to cater to everyone’s needs and preferences. While our focus here is on a fantastic gluten-free pumpkin cobbler, the beauty is that you can easily adapt it. If you or your guests have no dietary concerns regarding gluten, feel free to substitute the gluten-free flour with your favorite all-purpose flour for the crust topping. Whether you opt for a beloved homemade pie crust recipe or a high-quality store-bought option, the result will still be utterly delicious. However, for those seeking a genuinely excellent gluten-free experience, I cannot recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour highly enough. It consistently delivers an outstanding texture and flavor that rivals traditional crusts, making it the star of our gluten-free topping.
The Secret to a Perfectly Flaky Pie Crust Topping
Creating that ideal flaky pie crust topping, especially with gluten-free flour, might seem daunting, but it’s simpler than you think with the right technique. The key lies in how you incorporate the butter into the flour mixture. Forget the food processor or pastry blender for this step – your hands are your best tools! Begin by ensuring your chunks of butter are well-chilled and coated thoroughly with your chosen flour (gluten-free or regular). Now, with your thumb and forefinger, gently squeeze and flatten each piece of butter until you achieve a pebbly, coarse mixture. This hands-on approach is crucial for achieving the desired flakiness.
This brilliant method, inspired by the experts at Gluten-Free on a Shoestring, comes with a valuable piece of advice from Nicole: “Do not chop up the butter into super small pieces or process them until they’re the size of ‘small peas.’ That may be a common instruction in pie crust-making, but I am anti-small-peas in all pastry-making for one reason. Very small pieces of butter not only melt too easily when they meet with the heat of your hands (or even warm air), but they melt right into the dough, so even rechilling the dough won’t help once the butter in the raw dough has melted. Using butter in larger chunks, and then flattening them between your thumb and forefinger, solves all of those problems.” By keeping the butter in larger, flattened pieces, you ensure that they create steam pockets during baking, resulting in that irresistible, airy flakiness we all crave.
Once you’ve achieved that desirable pebbly mixture, gradually add very cold water, mixing just until the dough starts to come together. A few quick rolls and folds on a lightly floured surface will help develop its structure before it’s wrapped and chilled in the fridge. Chilling the dough is an essential step that allows the gluten (or gluten-free flour blend) to hydrate and the butter to firm up, making the dough easier to roll and ensuring maximum flakiness when baked. While your dough is resting and getting perfectly chilled, you can move on to preparing the star of the show: the irresistibly creamy pumpkin custard.
The Creamy, Spiced Pumpkin Custard
Now for the truly amazing part – the pumpkin custard. This filling is incredibly simple to prepare, making it perfect for even novice bakers. There’s no complicated tempering or multiple steps; everything comes together effortlessly in one large bowl. Simply whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and dark brown sugar until beautifully combined. Then, incorporate the rich heavy cream, the smooth pumpkin puree, and a splash of pure vanilla extract. Finally, a symphony of warming spices – cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg, along with a touch of fine sea salt – are whisked in to create that iconic, comforting pumpkin pie flavor profile. This ease of preparation ensures that you can focus on enjoying the process and anticipating the delicious outcome.
The Art of Assembly: Ensuring a Perfect Cobbler
One crucial step to guarantee a perfectly textured cobbler is to partially bake the pumpkin custard before adding the crust topping. This initial bake allows the custard to firm up and thicken slightly, creating a stable base. This prevents the delicate pie crust discs from sinking into the custard as you arrange them, ensuring they remain beautifully crisp and flaky on top. While the custard is getting its head start in the oven, you can roll out your chilled pie crust dough. I love using a scalloped-edge round cutter to create charming, rustic discs, which are then arranged in an aesthetically pleasing, slightly overlapping pattern over the warm custard. This not only looks wonderful but also creates individual “cookies” that are perfect for scooping up the creamy filling. My grandchildren, for example, adore lifting a “cookie or two” from their serving, dipping it straight into the warm pumpkin custard and cool whipped cream – a tradition in the making! Of course, feel free to get creative with your crust design; use cookie cutters of any shape to personalize your cobbler.
A handy tip: The gluten-free pie crust dough recipe provided here yields enough for two full pie crusts. This means you’ll have extra dough for another culinary adventure! Make sure to securely wrap any unused dough in plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to three days, or freeze it for up to two months. This makes future baking even easier and quicker!
Your Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Cobbler is Ready!
Once the cobbler emerges from the oven, its crust a deep golden brown and the kitchen filled with the intoxicating aroma of pumpkin and spices, it’s ready to be savored. This dessert is truly exceptional when served warm, straight from the oven. The warmth of the spiced pumpkin custard and the crispness of the topping are at their absolute peak. And, as we mentioned earlier, don’t forget that essential accompaniment: a generous dollop of freshly whipped cream. The cool, light cream provides a perfect counterpoint to the rich, warm flavors of the cobbler, enhancing the overall experience. Each spoonful delivers a harmonious blend of textures and tastes, making it the perfect treat for a cozy fall evening or a festive holiday gathering.
gluten-free pumpkin pie cobbler
Adapted from a recipe by Erin McDowell featured on FOOD52
Ingredients
Gluten Free Pie Crust
-
4
cups
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
(560 grams) -
3/4
teaspoon
baking powder -
3/4
teaspoon
kosher salt -
16
tablespoons
unsalted butter, diced & chilled
(1/2″ dice is best) -
1 1/3
cups
very cold water
Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Cobbler
-
1/2
prepared Gluten Free Pie Crust dough - soft butter, for greasing the baking dish
-
6
large eggs -
1
cup
granulated sugar -
1/2
cup
dark brown sugar -
1
cup
heavy cream -
30
ounces
pumpkin puree -
2
teaspoons
pure vanilla extract -
1
tablespoon
ground cinnamon -
2
teaspoons
ground ginger -
1
teaspoon
ground allspice -
1/2
teaspoon
ground nutmeg -
1/2
teaspoon
fine sea salt - egg wash, as needed
- turbinado sugar, as needed
Instructions
-
Make the dough. In a large bowl, place the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine well. Add the chopped and chilled butter to the flour mixture. Toss to coat it in the dry ingredients. Flatten each chunk of butter between your thumb and forefinger so that it’s about an 1/8-inch thick. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly add the ice cold water, mixing gently until the dough begins to come together. Press together with floured hands, press together the dough into a disk. If there are any crumbly, dry spots at this point, add more water by the teaspoonful and press together with your hands.
-
Begin to shape the dough. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the top lightly with more flour, and roll out into a rough rectangle that is about 1 inch thick. Sprinkle the dough lightly with more flour, fold it over on itself in thirds like you would a business letter, sprinkle again with flour, and roll out the dough once again into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Repeat the process of rolling, sprinkling and folding at least once more, this time ending with a rectangle about a 1/2-inch thick. Using a pizza wheel, pastry cutter or sharp knife, slice the rectangle in half along the length, creating two rectangles of equal size, and roll each separately in thirds once more. Wrap each piece of dough securely in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to chill until firm (30 minutes to an hour).
-
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with soft butter.
-
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and brown sugar to combine. Whisk in the heavy cream, then the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Add the cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt and whisk to combine.
-
Pour the custard into the prepared casserole dish. Partially bake for 20 minutes. Remove dish from oven and allow to slightly cool.
-
Finish shaping the crust. Once the dough has chilled, remove one piece from the refrigerator, unwrap it and place it on a lightly floured surface. (Reserve remaining dough for another time.) Sprinkle the top lightly with more flour, and on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Using a scalloped-edge round cutter, form as many dough discs as possible.
-
Gently lay the dough discs all over the partially baked pumpkin custard, in a slightly overlapping pattern. Egg wash the surface of the pie dough, and sprinkle evenly all over with turbinado sugar. Return to the oven and bake until the pie crust is deeply golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
-
Serve warm or cool to room temperature. Delicious when served with a side of freshly whipped cream.
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