Recipe: Blackberry Cobbler
Blackberry Cobbler is a perfect summer time dessert, easy to make and super delicious. It is sweet, juicy, slightly tart with a golden biscuit topping. Best served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. Trust me, it is not a difficult recipe to make at all. Go for individual servings or one tray bake. The choice is yours. I am a lover of individual servings. Therefore used ramekin bowls.
I must admit I was a bit hesitant to make a cobbler all this time, thinking that if the biscuit layer doesn’t turn out good, the dessert will be a flop. So mostly I would make Apple Crisp especially when I have guests over and need an easy dessert. This time I had to try out the cobbler. If the biscuit layer is not good, could just remove it and serve the nice juicy berries with ice cream. But, surprisingly the biscuit layer turned out awesome! And I did a little happy dance 🙂
What Is A Cobbler?
Nope, not the shoe maker or repairer. Cobbler in the culinary world is a baked dessert. A cobbler is a dessert with fruit filling topped with biscuit, batter or dumplings. Generally, the South American style has a thin crust on top and bottom as a cake like batter is added in the baking tin along with the fruit. The Northern style is more like cobbles of dough added on the top to give a biscuit or scone like texture. It is believed that Cobblers is a mixture of the traditional puddings and pies.
Early Settlers of America brought with them their favourite recipes such as the steamed fruit pudding. However, due to unavailability of some ingredients they improvised. This resulted in a fruit filled baked dessert with different toppings and names too. Grunts, Slumps, Buckle, Brown Betty, Sonkers, to name a few.
Sharing This Recipe With Sunday Funday Group
Yes I am back after almost 2 months. Last week’s theme was recipes with Cucumber which I sadly couldn’t post on time due to a repeated eye infection. This week feeling so much better and the infection has gone — well I think, keeping my fingers crossed. Otherwise will have to wait in the Emergency Room for over 8 hours to be seen by a doctor. 3 years in Canada and we still don’t have a family doctor! Seriously, that how bad the healthcare is in Canada. Going private is frightfully expensive.
Anyway, Cobbler was on my list to try for a very long time. For this week Stacy suggested we use Blackberries as the star ingredient. Decided to give cobbler a try with blackberries.
What Are Blackberries?
Technically blackberries are not berries at all. Instead, each fruit is an aggregation of dozens of tiny fruits called drupelets. They grow on prickly bushes or as they are more commonly known as brambles. Very much a summer time fruit, blackberries are not as popular as strawberries or blueberries world over. I don’t think I ever had blackberries in India or Kenya. I had them for the first time in UK, thinking that these are mulberries but much larger. But learned from my cousin that they are called blackberries. While I love them, hubby isn’t a fan of them. But rest assured he loved the Blackberry Cobbler. Though the berries appear black, when mashed or cooked, they are reddish pinkish. Indian Blackberry are quite different. They are also known as Java Plums or Jamuns.
Some Recipes With Berries On My Blog
Check Out Blackberry Recipes By Members Of Sunday Funday
- Blackberry and Apple Slaw from Palatable Pastime
- Blackberry Cobbler from Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Blackberry Ricotta Pizza from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Fresh Blackberry Margarita from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Fresh Blackberry Tarts from Food Lust People Love
- Jamun/Indian Blackberry Chia Jam from Sneha’s Recipe
- Roasted Blackberry & Rosemary Goat Cheese from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
- Summer Berries Flaugnarde + Olallie Gin Fizz from Culinary Cam
Ingredients Required For Blackberry Cobbler
Blackberries
We need about 4 cups of blackberries. Can use a mixture of blackberries and blueberries if you want to.
Sugar
Normal white sugar or brown sugar. Need some to add to the blackberries and a bit for the biscuit dough.
Cornflour |Cornstarch
A little is added to the berries so that when the berries get cooked, the natural juice from the berries becomes like a sauce.
Lemon Juice
Fresh lemon juice. Adds a bit of tangy flavour and balances the sweetness from the berries and sugar.
Lemon Zest
To add to the berries for extra flavour.
All Purpose Flour
Also known as plain flour, need some to prepare the biscuit dough.
Baking Powder
Added to the biscuit dough as a leavening agent.
Vanilla Extract
To add some flavour to the biscuits.
Butter
Can use unsalted. As I didn’t have any, I used salted butter. Measure out 2 tbsp of butter and allow it to chill till it is hard. Cut the butter into small pieces. Makes it easier to rub into the flour.
Salt
To add a little to the berries and the biscuit dough. Salt tends to bring out the flavours of the other ingredients.
Milk | Buttermilk
Use either to make the biscuit dough. I used milk.
Vanilla Ice Cream
To serve with the blackberry cobbler
BLACKBERRY COBBLER
Ingredients
FOR THE BLACKBERRY LAYER
- 4 cups fresh blackberries
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- a generous pinch salt
FOR THE BISCUIT LAYER
- 8 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp butter cold
- 2 tbsp cold milk |buttermilk
FOR SERVING
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
Instructions
PREPARE THE BLACKBERRY LAYER
- Wash the blackberries.
- Transfer the blackberries to a mixing bowl.
- Add 4 tbsp sugar, pinch of salt, lemon juice, lemon zest and cornstarch.
- Mix well and allow the blackberries to rest for 15-20 minutes.
PREPARE THE BISCUIT DOUGH
- Add all purpose flour in a mixing bowl.
- Add 2 tbsp sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well.
- Chop the cold butter into small pieces.
- Add to the flour. Using your finger tips, rub the butter into the flour.
- The mixture should be like coarse sand.
- Add the vanilla extract and milk or buttermilk.
- Slowly mix the flour to form a dough. Do not knead it too much. Just enough to bring the flour together.
- Roughly divide the dough into 4 parts.
PREPARING BLACKBERRY COBBLER
- Preheat the oven to 180℃.
- Take 4 ramekin bowls. The ones I used are the 8oz ones.
- Arrange them on a baking tray or sheet.
- Divide the blackberry mixture between the 4 ramekin bowls.
- Take one part of the biscuit dough. Take a marble size dough, roll and flatten it slightly. Place over the blackberry mixture.
- Repeat the process 3-4 times. That way you have one ramekin bowl covered with the biscuit dough in a cobbled manner.
- Repeat the above using the other 3 dough parts to cover the 3 remaining ramekin bowls.
- Brush the biscuit dough pieces lightly with some milk or buttermilk.
- Sprinkle some sugar over the pieces.
- Put the tray with the ramekin bowls in the preheated oven.
- Bake for 25 minutes or till the biscuits turn golden brown in colour.
- Remove the tray from the oven.
- Allow the blackberry cobbler to cool for 5-10 minutes. Remember the cooked blackberries will be very hot.
TO SERVE BLACKBERRY COBBLER
- Add a scoop each of the vanilla ice cream on top of the cobbler and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use a mixture of berries.
- Do not knead the biscuit dough too much.
- If your kitchen is very warm, allow the dough to chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Add sugar to the blackberries according to your taste.
- Make sure the cobbler cools down a bit before serving. The hot berry mixture can burn your tongue.
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If you do try this recipe then please either
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