It's So Easy To Transform Store-Bought Pancake Mix Into This Cozy Fall Dessert

A delicious apple cobbler is a fall classic dessert that's perfect for Thanksgiving dinner. The combination of sweet cinnamon apple and the cakey crust is one that's hard to resist, not to mention incredibly easy to put together. If you want to make it even easier, or if you just want to put a new spin on your favorite dessert, all you need is a box of pancake mix.

It's not totally off the wall, as pancake mix is made up of dry ingredients that you would already use in baked goods. The precise ingredients can vary by brand and type, but generally, it's flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and sometimes powdered buttermilk, all of which makes pancake mix great for far more than breakfast. All of these go into a cobbler as well, so simply use pancake mix where the dry ingredients are necessary and then bake as normal. The end result is a delicious apple cobbler full of fluffy pancake goodness.

The only thing you need to remember is that pancake mix is designed for pancakes, not cobbler, so the ratio of ingredients may need to be adjusted. Remember, any time you make a substitution while baking, you need to adjust the rest of the recipe to compensate. For example, a standard cobbler takes about one cup of sugar mixed with the rest of the dry ingredients (that's about 200 grams), while your average box of pancake mix contains about 21 grams of sugar total. The amounts can vary, but the point is that you may need to add extra sugar.

You're far from limited to a standard apple cobbler with pancake mix. Plenty more flavors can help you ring in the fall spirit, like peach cobbler, or perhaps some late-season blueberry. Cobbler is a great way to give canned fruit new life, so don't be afraid to try something new if you have a spare can you've been meaning to use up. You can even mix different fruits together to make something entirely new. Meanwhile, a dash of fall spices, like cinnamon or the ever-popular pumpkin pie spice mix, can really boost the autumnal character of the dish.

Of course, what is cobbler without a cold scoop of ice cream to go along with it? Ice cream is a classic topping that complements your apple cobbler perfectly. Vanilla is the most common flavor, but it's far from the only pairing that can have your guests asking for seconds. Try strawberry cobbler with strawberry ice cream to double up on that delicious berry flavor, or chocolate to take advantage of another classic pairing. If you really want it to taste like autumn, give pumpkin spice ice cream a try.

While you're making pancake mix cobbler, really get into the spirit and treat it like pancakes by combining it with some other classic breakfast pairings. Sprinkle in some chocolate chips or drizzle on some maple syrup, for instance. You can even add a scoop of Nutella to make your cobbler taste like a gourmet breakfast.