This stone fruit cobbler is made with breakfast cereal

Cooktop Cove: This stone fruit cobbler is made with breakfast cereal

By Emily Monaco

The expression goes "easy as pie..." but in reality, pie is far from the easiest dessert to perfect. Luckily, cobbler is far less finicky, as you'll see in the recipe below. A layer of mixed stone fruit is topped with a simple biscuit topping. Flaky and rich, this dessert boasts a touch of crunch thanks to a secret ingredient: cinnamon breakfast cereal.
Use any combination of stone fruit in this cobbler, from apricots to plums to peaches. Choose whatever's ripest for the most flavor. You'll want to start with very cold butter, which will be grated before going into the biscuit layer. This will help the dough stay flaky and light as it bakes. A scoop of ice cream is the ideal finishing touch.

Spiced stone fruit cobbler with cinnamon toasty crumble

15 minutes

45 minutes

1 hour

3 pounds mixed stone fruit (plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots...), pitted and diced

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

½ lemon, juice and zest

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups flour

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons butter, grated

½ cup milk

1 cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, crushed

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a bowl, combine the fruit, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cinnamon. Arrange in a 9x13-inch casserole dish and set aside.

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture is sandy. Add the milk and stir until a soft dough forms. Fold in the crushed cereal.

Tear chunks of the dough about ¼ cup in volume and flatten them slightly, arranging them over the top of the fruit to cover. Bake 45 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.