Pecan Pie Cobbler is a magical, gooey, buttery dessert that gives you all the caramelized pecan pie flavor you crave without the fuss of making a traditional pie crust! This recipe creates its own sauce as it bakes, with a golden, slightly crispy top and a rich, sticky bottom layer that’ll have everyone coming back for seconds.
Love More Pie Recipes? Try My Christmas Eve Cinnamon Vanilla Creamy Custard Pie or this Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls next.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You get all the warm, toasty, caramel-y goodness of classic pecan pie, but without rolling out pastry or worrying about a soggy bottom. The magic happens in the oven when you pour hot water over everything and it creates this incredible gooey layer underneath a golden crust.
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Pecan Pie Cobbler
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: One 9×13-inch cobbler
Description
An easy, gooey Pecan Pie Cobbler that creates its own caramel sauce as it bakes. With buttery cake on top and sticky pecan pie filling underneath, this dump-and-bake dessert is perfect for holidays or any time you’re craving something sweet and comforting.
Ingredients
For the Batter:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups self-rising flour
- 1 ½ cups white granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup whole milk (plus more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Pecan Topping:
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 ½ cups hot water
Instructions
Turn oven to 350°F. Throw butter in your pan and stick it in the oven. Takes three or four minutes to melt. Don’t forget about it. Burnt butter is disgusting.
Put flour, white sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl. Stir until it’s mixed. Should pour easy. Too thick? Add milk one spoon at a time. Looks like pancake batter.
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Smash any hard lumps.
Pull the pan out when butter’s melted. Dump pecans on top. Doesn’t matter how they land. Pour batter over pecans. Don’t stir. I mean it.
Sprinkle the brown sugar stuff on top. Looks like way too much. It is. That’s fine.
Get your hot water from the tap and pour it all over. Pour everywhere, not just one spot. Gonna look like you messed up. You didn’t. Just stick it in the oven and walk away.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Top should be golden. Edges should be bubbling. My kitchen smells so good at this point my kids come downstairs asking what’s for dinner even though it’s 2 PM.
Wait ten minutes before eating. I know. Just do it. Sauce needs time to thicken. Then put it in bowls with ice cream.
Notes
- Check your batter consistency. If it’s too thick, it won’t spread well over the pecans and you’ll get uneven coverage. Thin it slightly with milk until it’s pourable.
- Pour the hot water from the side of the pan rather than directly onto the center. This helps distribute it more evenly without washing all your brown sugar to one spot.
- Use a glass baking dish if you have one. It helps you see what’s happening on the bottom and sides as it bakes, so you can watch that gorgeous caramel forming.
- Don’t overbake! Once the top is golden and you see bubbling, it’s done. Overbaking can make the top too dry.
- Let it cool just enough to set (about 10-15 minutes), but don’t let it cool completely before serving. This dessert is BEST when it’s warm and the sauce is still loose and gooey.
- Common mistake to avoid: Opening the oven door too often to check on it. Keep that door closed until at least the 28-minute mark so the heat stays consistent.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredient List
For the Batter:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups self-rising flour
- 1 ½ cups white granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup whole milk (plus more if needed)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Pecan Topping:
- 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 ½ cups hot water
Makes: One 9×13-inch cobbler (about 12 generous servings)
Friendly Notes: I buy whatever milk’s on sale. And those fancy pecan halves? Skip them. Get the bag of pieces. Cheaper and tastes exactly the same.
Why These Ingredients Work
Self-rising flour already has stuff in it so you don’t dig through cabinets for baking powder. My mom only kept this around for biscuits and desserts. Smart.
Butter is non-negotiable. Tried vegetable oil once. Big mistake. Tasted like cardboard.
Brown sugar makes it taste like pecan pie. That’s the molasses doing its thing. Hot water melts it into caramel sauce. Looks totally wrong when you’re making it. Comes out perfect anyway.
Cinnamon gives it that warm spice taste. Don’t use more than a tablespoon though. Too much cinnamon and it’s gross.
Pecans make it pecan pie cobbler instead of just cobbler. They toast up nice in the oven.
Essential Tools and Equipment
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 9×13-inch baking dish – mine’s got burnt edges but whatever
- Medium mixing bowl
- Small bowl
- Whisk or spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Oven mitts – burns hurt
Basic stuff you already own.
How To Make Pecan Pie Cobbler
Step 1: Preheat Oven and Melt the Butter
Turn oven to 350°F. Throw butter in your pan and stick it in the oven. Takes three or four minutes to melt. Don’t forget about it. Burnt butter is disgusting.
Step 2: Mix Your Batter
Put flour, white sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl. Stir until it’s mixed. Should pour easy. Too thick? Add milk one spoon at a time. Looks like pancake batter.
Step 3: Prepare the Cinnamon-Sugar Topping
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Smash any hard lumps.
Step 4: Assemble the Cobbler
Pull the pan out when butter’s melted. Dump pecans on top. Doesn’t matter how they land. Pour batter over pecans. Don’t stir. I mean it.
Sprinkle the brown sugar stuff on top. Looks like way too much. It is. That’s fine.
Get your hot water from the tap and pour it all over. Pour everywhere, not just one spot. Gonna look like you messed up. You didn’t. Just stick it in the oven and walk away.
Step 5: Bake Until Golden and Bubbly
Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Top should be golden. Edges should be bubbling. My kitchen smells so good at this point my kids come downstairs asking what’s for dinner even though it’s 2 PM.
Step 6: Let It Rest and Serve
Wait ten minutes before eating. I know. Just do it. Sauce needs time to thicken. Then put it in bowls with ice cream.
You Must Know
Don’t stir once you start layering. Every single person who says this failed stirred it. Keep the layers separate. That’s how it works. Water goes down and makes sauce. Top bakes into cake. Stir it and you get mush.
Buy self-rising flour. Don’t try substituting. Tried it. Doesn’t work. Just buy it.
Hot water only. Tried cold once. Got crunchy sugar lumps. Use hot water.
Personal Secret: Toast your pecans for five minutes first while the oven heats up. Spread them on a pan. They taste way better. My grandma did this with every single nut recipe. She was right.
Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks
Check your batter consistency before adding sugar. If it’s sitting in blobs, thin it with milk.
Pour water from the edges inward. Keeps all the sugar from sliding to one corner.
Use glass so you can see the bottom. I like watching what’s happening down there.
Don’t keep opening the oven. Let it bake. Opening drops the temperature.
Corner pieces have the most caramelized bits. Best pieces. Fight your family for them if you have to.
Flavor Variations & Suggestions
Add bourbon. Two tablespoons in the batter. My uncle does this. Tastes fancy.
Swap vanilla for maple extract. Use maple syrup instead of some brown sugar. Cut water to one cup.
Chocolate chips work. Half a cup over the pecans before batter. Always good.
Add nutmeg and ginger with cinnamon. Half teaspoon each. More fall flavor.
Use walnuts. Or almonds. Whatever nuts you’ve got.
Add orange zest to batter. One orange. Brightens it up.
Make-Ahead Options
Best right from the oven but you can prep ahead. Measure stuff the night before. Keep it separate. Mix right before baking.
Can assemble two hours early. Leave on counter. Don’t refrigerate. Butter will harden.
Don’t freeze before baking. Gets weird. Baked leftovers freeze fine though.
Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips
High altitude? Bake five minutes longer. Use less sugar.
Looks runny fresh out the oven. Normal. Gets thicker cooling.
Check at 30 minutes. Might take 35. My oven takes 33 every time.
Edges get crispy. That’s the best part.
Powdered sugar on top looks nice for company.
Serving Suggestions
Vanilla ice cream while it’s hot. Ice cream melts into sauce. That’s the whole point really.
Whipped cream if you prefer. Cool Whip’s fine.
Extra caramel sauce if you’re going all out.
Black coffee with it. Cuts the sweetness.
Serve at holidays. Easier than pie. People eat it with spoons standing around the kitchen.
Eat from the pan at midnight. Nobody needs to know.
Easy dessert. House smells incredible. Takes barely any effort. Make it whenever. Hope you love it.
How to Store Your Pecan Pie Cobbler
Sits out four hours covered with foil for parties.
Fridge four days covered tight. Gets thick and almost solid cold. I like it cold actually.
Freeze two months wrapped in plastic then foil.
Microwave servings 30 seconds. Or reheat everything at 325°F for 15 minutes covered. Uncover last five minutes.
Thaw frozen overnight in fridge first.
Won’t be crispy reheated but tastes good still.
Allergy Information
Has dairy, wheat, nuts.
Gluten-free try gluten-free self-rising flour. Haven’t tested it.
Dairy-free use vegan butter and plant milk.
Nut-free doesn’t make sense for pecan pie cobbler. Maybe seeds? Won’t taste right though.
Vegan use vegan butter and plant milk.
Questions I Get Asked A Lot
Why is my cobbler soupy?
Didn’t bake long enough. Give it 30-35 minutes plus ten cooling. Still soupy? Bake five more.
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of self-rising flour?
Add 2¼ teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt to regular flour. Easier to just buy self-rising though.
Do I really have to use hot water? Why not cold water?
Hot dissolves sugar right away. Cold doesn’t. Use hot.
My top is getting too dark but the middle isn’t done—help!
Cover with foil. Protects top while middle finishes.
Can I use chopped pecans instead of halves?
Sure. Tastes same. Halves look nicer.
Why didn’t my cobbler create that gooey bottom layer?
Water wasn’t hot or you stirred. Use hot water. Don’t stir.
💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! Tell me how it went.
