A perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors Jack Daniel's Sour Cherry Cobbler makes an irresistible summer dessert! Made with a simple fresh fruit filling of tangy cherries baked with a buttery, biscuit-like crust.
Sour cherries are tart little cherries that are delicious in pies, jams, and sauces. This sweet and tangy cherry dessert is so easy to make. The only time-consuming task is pitting the cherries.
What are sour cherries?
Sour cherries are also known as tart cherries and have a tangy, tart taste. They are smaller and softer than sweet cherries and have a vibrant red color.
I have a spectacular Evans cherry tree growing in my yard. In addition to the most beautiful spring blossoms, it produces an abundance of sour cherries. Sour cherry trees are very hardy and grow well in the cool Canadian prairies. These cherries are quite tart and most people find them a little too sour to eat, but they are perfect for cherry pie, baking, jellies, and sauces. My recipe for Easy Sour Cherry Sauce is fantastic on cheesecake and savory dishes like Pork Rib Roast.
Can you make this recipe without using Jack Daniel's?
Jack Daniel's whiskey adds super flavor to this sour cherry cobbler, but if you prefer simply skip the step of marinating the cherries.
Sour cherries aren't just for making desserts. I love to make Sour Cherry Infused Water for a refreshing, healthy drink. Sour cherries are incredibly healthy and loaded with antioxidants!
Pro tips for making the perfect cobbler.
I prefer fresh ripe cherries, but frozen sour cherries will work as well. Frozen tend to be a bit more watery, so add an extra tablespoon of Minute Tapioca. Minute Tapioca works great as a thickener for fruit desserts.
Marinate the cherries in sugar and Jack Daniel's for 1-2 hours. Drain off the extra liquid.
If you prefer sour cherry cobbler a bit sweeter add an extra ¼ cup of sugar.
When combining the dough, do not over-mix. The dough should be slightly sticky and have large clumps.
Drop the dough on top of the cherry mixture using a tablespoon. Leave in clumps and do not spread out.
The cherry filling will bubble up through the crisp crust as it bakes so be sure to line the oven with foil to catch any spills.
Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Cobbler is such an easy recipe to make, be sure to try my Apple Cobbler recipe as well!
This post was originally published August 8, 2013. Occasionally I update with fresh tips, content, and photos. Current update June 18, 2023.
Jack Daniel's Sour Cherry Cobbler
Ingredients
sour cherry filling
- 6- 8 cups sour cherries pitted
- ½ cup Jack Daniel's whiskey
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
Cobbler Topping
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup cold unsalted butter
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Butter for pan
- ¼ cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Combine pitted cherries, Jack Daniels and ½ cup sugar in large baking dish (I use 9 x 13 pan so all the cherries are covered with the marinade. Marinate cherries for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
- Drain off excess liquid.
- Stir tapioca into drained cherries.
for the cobbler topping
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut ¾ cup of chilled butter into small cubes.
- Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like large course crumbs.
- Gradually pour in the cream and mix just until the dough comes together. Do not overwork, the dough should be slightly sticky and large clumps.
- Melt ¼ cup of butter and pour into a 10 inch round pan or 9x9 square pan.
- Add the cherry mixture on top of the melted butter. Do not stir.
- Sprinkle with a bit more sugar if you like the cherries sweeter.
- Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons over the cherries. Leave in clumps, do not smooth out.
- Brush the top with cream and sprinkle with sugar.
- Place baking pan on cookie sheet, this will catch any sauce that bubbles over.
- Bake 50-60 mins in 350º F oven. The top should be golden brown and the fruit bubbling.
- Serve warm with scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipping cream.
Now What says
If I had these gorgeous cherries and Jack Daniels, I'm pretty sure they would have not made it to the cobbler stage...'just sayin..Looks delicious!
Laureen King says
I'm curious to what stage they may have got... ha ha. Maybe sour cherry juice in the Jack Daniel's; reminds me of something I may have drank back in high school with a special friend.
Anonymous says
Oh my, I can't WAIT to try this!! I don't drink but hey, I can maybe chew on some woozy cherries. I'll let you all know how it works out :}
Laureen King says
You can always eliminate the Jack Daniel's, it will still taste great!
Carole says
Hi Laureen, just popped over to let you know that your link to Food on Friday: Scallops was featured in my Need Some Inspiration? Series today. Cheers
Laureen King says
Thanks Carole that is awesome!!
Tara says
I am so drooling over this gorgeous cobbler, nicely done!!!
Laureen King says
Thank you Tara!
Gail Dickinson says
Wish cherries grew in Texas so I could pick my own. I love cherry pie and this cobbler looks amazing!
Laureen King says
Thank you Gail, we can only grown Evans Cherries (sour cherries). I love them but you have to sweeten them up a bit more.
Caroline Csak says
I'm going to try this for my book club tomorrow night as it ties in well with the book we just read, and I have mountains of pitted Evan's cherries in the freezer. Normally I'm too lazy to pit them, and make jelly or syrup, but this year I did so can try other recipes.
Laureen King says
I wish I could be at your book club lol, Enjoy!
Linda Wallace says
Will this work in a slow cooker or crock pot instead?
Laureen King says
Hello Linda, no it would not, the cobbler has to bake.
Judith Mack says
First of all, I love this recipe! The possibilities are endless for variations. I ended up putting the marinaded cherries in the fridge overnight as I was exhausted after pitting 4 gallons! Saved the marinade after draining the cherries and made a tasty cocktail over ice with Vernor's ginger ale.
The only change I really made was adding some toasted sliced almonds to the cherries. Have a huge Costco bag so I'm putting them in everything these days.
Next time I make this, and I know I will, I am going to try soaking the cherries in amaretto instead of Jack Daniels.
Again, I will add toasted almonds to the cherries and substitute a bit of almond flour for the regular flour. I might put a bit of lemon zest in the topping as well.
Thank you for a most excellent recipe!
Laureen King says
Thank you Judith, and you are right, the possibilities are endless.
Karen Nowak says
Excellent and very easy. We love cherry pie, but since it's just the 2 of us, the bottom crust gets soggy and yucky before we can finish it. This is every bit as good as cherry pie, without the sogginess. My only suggestion is to use a bit more thickener as I would have liked the cherry mixture to have more body.
Carol says
What can you do if you can't find sour cherries?? Thanks!
Laureen King says
Regular cherries will work, but will usually require less sugar. Start with half and taste test.