This apple and fig cobbler has eggnog biscuits on top as well as a dose of brandy in the filling. If you are avoiding alcohol, feel free to substitute the brandy for orange juice or omit the liquid completely and reduce the tapioca starch/cornstarch to 3 tablespoons. Any store-bought eggnog will work for the cobbler biscuits, but if you don’t have eggnog, you can either make your own or substitute the same amount of buttermilk or regular half and half in its place.
Peel the apples and set aside 1 apple. Core and slice remaining apple into 8 pieces and place in a large bowl. Core the remaining apple, then grate apple into bowl using the large hole of a box grater.
Add the remaining filling ingredients to the bowl and mix with a large spatula to combine.
Lightly spray a 9 x 12 baking pan with cooking oil. Pour filling into prepared baking pan and spread evenly in the pan. Bake uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes.
While the filling is baking, make the biscuits by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a large clean bowl. Stir vigorously with a balloon whisk until combined and uniform in color. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch chunks and sprinkle over the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, smash the butter into small flat pieces, about the size of peas.
Drizzle the eggnog over the biscuit ingredients and toss with a fork until a dough forms. Place in the refrigerator until the filling has finished baking for its 30 minutes.
Once the filling bake time is up, remove the pan from the oven. Stir the hot filling with a spatula. Using spoons, drop balls of dough over the hot filling to make a cobbled top. Leave a little bit a of space around each ball of dough as the biscuits will expand as they bake. Sprinkle the top of the biscuits with the turbinado sugar or white sugar.
Move the pan back into the oven and bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until the filling is bubbling in the center of the pan and the biscuits are golden brown.