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In today’s article, you will find:
- What slumps are and how to make them. (Hint: They’re easy.)
- Biscuit mixes for $1.00!
- An oven thermometer for only $2.99 (a savings of 80%) and why you need one for your fall baking.
- A recipe for Walnut Blueberry Pear Slump
- A recipe for Peach Raspberry Slump
A recipe for Sour Cream Apple Slump
What’s a Slump and How Do You Make Them?
Slumps are cool! A slump is a cobbler made on the stovetop; not baked. It’s super easy; even a novice can make one.
The Benefits of Making a Slump
- You don’t have to heat up your kitchen.
- You can make one on the grill.
- You can use a wide variety of canned, frozen, or fresh fruits.
- You can make them while camping or on a picnic.
- They are great to make in a Dutch Oven
Think of a slump like a cobbler that you don’t have to put in the oven. The topping is made with biscuit dough. We use our just-add-water biscuit mix so it is super quick and easy but you can use a recipe if you prefer. (There is a “from scratch” topping recipe included in the walnut blueberry pear slump recipe listed below.
Preparing the topping is similar to making dumplings such as chicken and dumplings. The steam and the heat of the broth cook the dough. It’s a soft dough, with extra moisture, so you can place it on the slump with a spoon. There is sugar and spice added either to the dough or sprinkled on top so that it is sweeter than dinner biscuits.
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The Kitchen Notebook: Why is an Oven Thermometer Important?
Ovens are moody contraptions. Think of them as a box with a heating element, a timer, and a thermostat. You turn the oven on and it begins heating. When the digital readout on your oven reads 350 degrees it may or may not be telling the truth. (Most of those devices are set to a timer, not a thermostat.)
Your oven heats and cools in cycles. It’s not steady-state. Then you open the door and the temperature plummets. It seems to take forever to heat back up.
It hardly seems like precision baking.
We have an oven thermometer in every oven at home and at work. In our test kitchen, our bakers count on the thermometer inside the oven, not the reading on the front. If it doesn’t read 250 degrees on the thermometer, the cookies don’t go in.
It’s amazing what you learn about your oven with an oven thermometer.
What You’ll Need to Make a Slump
You don’t need much. Good fruit, of course, and a good, heavy pan. You might want a good kitchen thermometer to make sure the biscuits are done. Stick the probe in the center and it should register at least 180 degrees.
You’ll need a good biscuit mix or recipe. Try ours. It’s excellent and all you have to add is water.
Save 75%! Get just-add-water biscuit mixes for $1.00
***Limit 3. Subject to available stock and may end without notice. Valid in the store with a $20 purchase. No minimum purchase is required online.
Peach Raspberry Slump Recipe
Here is a slump made with peaches and raspberries. We made it with fresh peaches because they are in season here in Eastern Idaho, but we could have used frozen peaches or a choice of other fruits.
This recipe makes a big cobbler that fits in a Dutch oven or large skillet. It is perfect for the 12-inch diameter by three-inch deep pan we have in our test kitchen. For smaller pans, use a half-recipe.
Ingredients
For the topping:
- 1 Prepared Pantry just-add-water biscuit mix, or equal
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to sprinkle over the top
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
For the filling:
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 6-8 cups peeled, sliced peaches
- 2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh or from concentrate)
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup water or as needed for the slurry
Directions
- Use an 11 to 12-inch, deep skillet. Melt the butter in the skillet and turn the skillet to coat the bottom and sides. Add the lemon juice. Turn the heat off. Mix the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
- Place the peaches and raspberries in the skillet. Add the dry ingredients for the filling mixture. Add the water and stir until a slurry is formed.
- Cover and cook over medium heat until the fruit is partially cooked and becomes softer.
- While the fruit is cooking, mix the biscuit dough according to package directions adding two or three tablespoons of water to make a sticky dough suitable for drop biscuits. Set aside.
- With the fruit simmering, drop spoonfuls of the batter into the fruit about evenly spaced. Cover and set the heat to gently simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. The heat from the fruit and the steam in the pan will cook the biscuits as dumplings do.
- When cooked, remove from the heat. Stir the sugar for the topping and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the topping. Let cool until just warm. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Caramel whipped cream is superb.
Walnut Blueberry Pear Slump Recipe
This made for a great combination—ripe pears, a few blueberries, and plenty of walnuts. We used frozen blueberries but ripe, juicy pears. Like with most pies, perfect fruit makes a real difference. Because the pears were so ripe and sweet, we cut back on the sugar to the amount shown in the recipe.
Ingredients
For the filling:
1 tablespoon butter
3-4 cups peeled pears cut into chunks
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup premium walnut pieces
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup milk or as needed for the slurry
For the topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup milk or as needed for a soft batter
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
- Use a ten-inch, deep skillet. Melt the butter in the skillet and turn the skillet to coat the bottom and sides. Turn the heat off. Mix the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
2. Place the pears, blueberries, and walnuts in the skillet. Add the dry ingredient mixture. Add the milk and stir until mixed.
3. Cover and cook over medium heat until the fruit starts to bubble. (Our pears were so ripe that we added the topping as soon as the fruit came to a simmer.)
4. While the fruit is cooking, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife. Set aside.
5. When the fruit is about cooked but still firm, add the milk to the dry ingredients and stir to form a soft batter suitable for drop biscuits.
6. With the fruit simmering, drop spoonfuls of batter into the fruit about evenly spaced. Cover and set the heat to gently simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. The heat from the fruit and the steam in the pan will cook the biscuits as dumplings do.
7. When cooked, remove from the heat. Stir the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the topping. Let cool until just warm. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Sour Cream Apple Slump Recipe
Think of this as an apple pie in a skillet. This one is enhanced with bright, dried cranberries and lots of sour cream.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
3-4 cups peeled, sliced apples
3/4 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk or as needed for the slurry
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup milk or as needed for a soft batter
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
- Use a ten-inch, deep skillet. Melt the butter in the skillet and turn the skillet to coat the bottom and sides. Turn the heat off. Mix the granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and allspice in a small bowl.
- Place the apples and cranberries in the skillet. Add the dry ingredient mixture. Add the sour cream and milk and stir until mixed.
- Cover and cook over medium heat until the fruit is partially cooked and becomes softer.
- While the fruit is cooking, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife. Set aside.
- When the fruit is about cooked but still firm, add the milk to the dry ingredients and stir to form a soft batter suitable for drop biscuits.
- With the fruit simmering, drop spoonfuls of the batter evenly placed over the fruit. Cover and set the heat to gently simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. The heat from the fruit and the steam in the pan will cook the biscuits as dumplings do.
- When cooked, remove from the heat. Stir the sugar and cinnamon
together and sprinkle over the topping. Let cool until just warm. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Thank you for reading!
About the Author
Dennis Weaver has burned food from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Miami, Florida. He is the founder of The Prepared Pantry in Rigby, Idaho and the author of How to Bake: The Art and Science of Baking available as an E-book or as a Kindle book on Amazon.
Dennis lives in Rigby, Idaho, with his wife, Merri Ann. They have five wonderful children and five beautiful granddaughters.