This Pecan Pie Cobbler is where classic pecan pie and cobbler collide! Crunchy pecans, cakey cobbler, and lots of that gooey pecan pie filling make this one of my new favorite desserts!
Y’all. (For future reference, when I start a post with the word y’all as a sentence all by itself, I’m about to tell you something really important.)
Y’all. This Pecan Pie Cobbler is magical. It’s all the best parts of pecan pie and cobbler combined into one gooey, caramel-y, crunchy, cake, cobbler-y, delicious dessert that’s going to blow your mind.
Now, I’m a huge Pecan Pie fan. From my Classic Pecan Pie to my Deep Fried Pecan Pies, I love them all. This one, though. This riff on pecan pie right here might be my favorite. It combines a cake-like cobbler with crunchy pecans and tons of that gooey pecan pie filling.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
This cobbler is rich and decadent with a sweet, buttery, gooey pecan pie filling layer on the bottom, topped with a fluffy, cake-like layer that soaks up all the caramel goodness as it bakes. Each bite is a little slice of heaven, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
And with only 7 basic, easy-to-find ingredients, it’s pretty dang easy.
Tips for the Perfect Southern Pecan Pie Cobbler:
- Choose Your Pecans Wisely: Coarsely chopped pecans work best here, so you get a good bit of crunch in every bite.
- Patience Pays Off: Letting the cobbler cool allows all that pecan pie filling to thicken up. It’s going to be very thin and liquidy when you take it out of the oven. So, let it rest.
- Go All In with the Ice Cream: A scoop of vanilla ice cream takes this dessert to the next level, melting right into the warm cobbler for an extra layer of indulgence. A dollop of whipped cream or Cool Whip or even a drizzle of plain heavy cream works, too.
Serving and Storage:
This cobbler is best served warm or at room temperature with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can store it at room temperature for up to 3 days or pop it in the fridge for up to 5 days (though I doubt it’ll last that long!).
Ingredient FAQ
- Butter – As a general rule of thumb, unsalted butter is better in baking, but salted will work if that’s all you have on-hand. In this recipe you’ll need ½ cup of melted butter for the pecan pie filling part and ½ cup of melted butter for the cake batter.
- Dark Corn Syrup – I tested both dark and light corn syrup but I like the molasses-y flavor of the dark corn syrup in this recipe. However, either will work.
- Dark Brown Sugar – For the same reason as with the corn syrup, I like the dark brown sugar. But light brown sugar will work, too.
- Pecans – You’ll need 2 cups (or more) of coarsely chopped pecans for this recipe – half for the pecan pie filling and half for the topping. You can buy pecan halves and chop them or you can buy large pecan pieces. I use the large pecan pieces from here. Buying them in pieces is actually cheaper and saves you a step.
- Cake Mix – While some brands have reduced the size of their cake mixes (again!), you can still find the 15.25-ounce boxes. And that’s what you’ll need here. I tested this recipe with the Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix, but I’d imagine the butter flavored and white cake mixes will work as well.
- Milk – I tested with whole milk, but any milk (even almond milk or water) will work.
- Water – Taking a cue from my Hot Fudge Cake, I topped this with some hot water to help develop that pecan pie “goo” at the bottom. Just pour it in between the dollops of cake mix, but do not mix it in.
This Pecan Pie Cobbler is the ultimate comfort dessert. Perfect for Thanksgiving, a special family supper, or just because – it’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter divided
- ½ cup dark corn syrup
- 1 cup dark brown sugar divided
- 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans divided
- 1 (15.25-ounce) yellow or butter cake mix
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, melt ½ cup of the butter in the microwave. Add the corn syrup, ½ cup of the dark brown sugar, and 1 cup of the pecans and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- In another medium bowl, melt the remaining ½ cup butter. Add the cake mix and milk and stir to combine. The mixture will be thick. Drop dollops of the cake mixture evenly over the pecan pie mixture in the dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup dark brown sugar and remaining 1 cup of pecans over the cake batter. Pour the hot water around the cake batter, but do not mix it in. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the cake is set and golden brown. The corn syrup mixture on the bottom of the dish will be very liquidy and will make the cobbler seem very jiggly, but just ensure the cake is baked through.
- Allow to cool to room temperature or just slightly warm before serving to allow the pecan pie "goo" to thicken up – about 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm with vanilla ice cream if desired. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
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Very dry cake part. Didn’t get the gooey pecan pie part that was mentioned. Won’t use this recipe again but I tried.
Oh no! Sorry to hear it didn’t turn out like it was supposed to!
would light brown sugar & light corn syrup work in this recipe?
Absolutely! You’ll just have a lighter flavor and color.
I am not sure I did this exactly correct because my texture was more like a thick cookie on top but, man, everyone absolutely loved it! I just made it as an extra dessert but it was gone first and everyone asked for the recipe. With this dessert and the other savories I made, I just kept repeating your name all Thanksgiving to give you credit for everything I made.
I’m so glad to hear everyone loved it! Texture can vary a bit depending on a few factors, but it sounds like you nailed it regardless. Thanks for spreading the word! It really means a lot!
cant wait to try it let u know on a few days
Hope it turns out great for you!
I haven’t made this yet,but it sounds like it would be great for church dinner. I know this might be gilding the lily,but how about buttered pecan ice cream??? My favorite flavor.
Haha, I love the phrase “gilding the lily!” But honestly, if there’s ever a time to go all out, it’s when you’re serving dessert at a church dinner! Buttered pecan ice cream would totally take that pecan pie cobbler to the next level.
Another winning recipe Stacey !! My next endeavor will be the sweet corn spoon bread. I think I’m turning my neighbors into southerners with your recipes and my bbq !! Lol. Do you think you will be publishing another cookbook? I just got mine today, but it has a copyright date of 2014 on the front pages and 2020 on the back cover.
Thank you so much! I love that you’re spreading Southern goodness to your neighbors—sounds like they’re lucky to have you and your BBQ skills! 😊 As for another cookbook, it’s definitely something I’d love to do in the future. That copyright thing can be a little confusing, but I’m so glad you got a copy. The book was originally published in 2014, but we’re on the second or third printing, that’s wyh the dates are a bit different. Let me know what you think of the sweet corn spoon bread—it’s one of my favorites!
This sounds amazing! I was wondering how it would work if I added a little rum. Do you have any suggestions?
did u get an answer about the rum…sounds like a great tip ..dark or light rum
I’ve not tried that to be able to say for sure, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work.
Hi Stacey, I feel like you are my neighbor when I read your cookbook and recipes. So, neighbor, ever try this with walnuts? You are so much fun! Thanks, Sue
Nothing makes me happier than hearing that! I think walnuts would work just fine.