Salted Apricot-Honey Cobbler

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Step 2

   Make the shortcake topping: Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until there are no large chunks left. Add ½ cup heavy cream and mix just until blended, then turn the dough out onto lightly floured work surface.

3. Step 3

   Knead dough just until it’s no longer super-sticky, and then pat the dough out so it’s 1-inch thick. (The shape here doesn’t matter; you’ll be cutting out circles.) Using a 2-inch-round cutter, or something approximately that size (water glasses and Mason jars also work), punch out as many shortcakes as you can. Gently gather and re-pat the scraps so they’re 1-inch thick and repeat until all the dough is used. You should have 8 or 9 shortcakes.

4. Step 4

   Prepare the filling: Toss apricots with honey, cornstarch, lime juice and kosher salt in a 2-quart baking dish (an 8-by-11-inch or 9-by-13-inch dish will work), then flip the fruit so they are all cut-side up. The apricot pieces will overlap a bit, and this is fine. Top with shortcakes; they will puff and spread quite a bit, so leave them well spaced. The idea is to have lots of fruit exposed once baked, so don’t worry about the shortcakes covering every square inch. Brush the shortcakes with cream, and sprinkle with a little bit of sugar and flaky sea salt.

5. Step 5

   Bake until shortcakes are golden brown and the juices of the apricot have thickened and bubbled up around the edges of the baking dish, 40 to 45 minutes.

6. Step 6

   Remove from oven and let cool slightly before eating (though it’s even better at room temperature). This cobbler is the best the day it’s made, but it can be baked a day ahead and stored tightly wrapped at room temperature.