Skillet Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler

Recipe Ingredients

Butter Pecan Scone Topping

Unsalted Butter: For flaky scones, you will want to make sure the butter is chilled. Keeping the scone dough as cold as possible prevents over-spreading and preserves the scone's flakiness.

Flour: No special flours are needed for this cobbler. All-purpose flour is perfect. For accuracy, the best way to measure the flour is by using a digital kitchen scale.

Tip: If you don't have a digital scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with the back of a butter knife. Try not to compress the flour into the measuring cup.

Brown Sugar: Brown sugar creates a softer scone and adds a caramel flavor that would be missing if you used white sugar.

Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Both baking powder and baking soda give the scones lift making them light and flakey rather than thick and dense.

Cinnamon: Adds a subtle heat and tons of flavor.

Chopped Pecans: Feel free to substitute your favorite nuts. The nuts add a great crunchy texture to the scones.

Heavy Cream: The amount of cream will vary based on how liquid or thick your sourdough starter is. Drizzle in just enough cream until the dough becomes cohesive.

Egg: The addition of an egg is nontraditional. But I think it adds richness and creates a lighter less dense scone. The additional fat will also help stop the scones from drying out.

Salt: I add at least a pinch of salt to all of my recipes. Salt complements and intensifies the other flavors. For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which packs more densely than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.

Pumpkin Custard

Pumpkin Puree: Make sure you are using pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix. The pumpkin pie mix has additional spices added in. If you only have pumpkin pie mix then I would suggest not adding any additional spices.

Maple Syrup: Maple and pumpkin pair so well together and increase the fall vibes of this cobbler.

Eggs: Eggs help to lighten, set, and enrich the custard

Sour Cream: The addition of sour cream creates a smooth custard and keeps the dessert from being too sweet.

Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract is a great complement to the pumpkin and spices.

Spices: Ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves are all mixed together to create the familiar pumpkin spice flavor.

Salt: I add at least a pinch of salt to all of my recipes. Salt complements and intensifies the other flavors. For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which packs more densely than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

• If you don't have heavy cream, you can substitute milk or half and half.
• Substitute the spices in the pumpkin custard with two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
• If you don't own a cast-iron skillet you could substitute a 9x13 casserole dish. You may need to decrease the baking time as glass and ceramic baking dishes are excellent heat conductors.

Step by Step Directions

Butter Pecan Scone Topping

Step 1: Slice the butter into pieces and melt it in a light-colored skillet over medium heat stirring or whisking constantly. (Image 1) Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. (Image 2)

Continue stirring/whisking for about 5-7 minutes, the foam will begin to subside and the melted butter will darken to a deep amber color. (Images 3 & 4) Remove the browned butter from the heat, and pour it into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until firm. This should take about four hours.

I often brown the butter the night before and refrigerate it overnight.

If you still have questions about how to brown butter, check out this video on how to brown butter from America's Test Kitchen.

Step 2: Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of your food processor.

Cut the butter into 4 pieces and add it to the flour mixture. Pulse a few times to chop and incorporate the butter into the dry ingredients. (Image 5)

Step 3: Continue processing until the butter pieces are the size of peas. Stir in the chopped pecans. (Image 6)

Tip: You can also use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture.

Step 4: In a large mixing bowl whisk together the heavy cream, egg, and vanilla. (Image 7)

Step 5: Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold them together being careful to not over-mix. (Image 8)

Tip: Do not overmix the dough at this point. Overmixing will create tough dry scones.

Step 6: Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times until it begins to come together and smoothes out a bit. Press the dough into a rectangle and fold it into thirds like you would a letter. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat this flattening and folding process two more times. (Images 9 & 10)

Tip: A bench scraper may help you lift and fold the dough.

Step 7: Pat the dough into a rectangle approximately 1 inch thick and cut into one-inch squares using a sharp knife. (Image 11) Transfer the dough squares to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate while you make the pumpkin custard.

Tip: When cutting the scones, push straight down with the knife. Sawing back and forth with the knife will seal the edges together and will prevent them from rising.