Easy Blackberry Cobbler Recipe

Few desserts capture the flavor of summer better than sweet, tart blackberry cobbler. With its juicy, deep purple berries and tender sponge cake topping, this dessert is the silent classic at backyard barbecues, potlucks, and family dinners across the country. The kind of dessert that, while understated, we'd all miss if it wasn't there.

What is a shoemaker?

Cobblers belong to that nebulous class of fruit desserts that go by charming, old-fashioned names like grunt, slump, sonker, and crisp. Believe it or not, there are actually differences between these desserts.

Cobblers specifically have a fruit filling with dough topping. The batter can be thicker, like a cookie, or thinner, like cake batter. Sometimes, especially in the American South, you can find a cobbler with an upper crust and a lower crust.

How to make Blackberry Cobbler

Blackberry cobblers are popular because they taste like summer when distilled in a small casserole dish, but they also owe their popularity to the ease of preparation. In this recipe, we'll give the blackberries a head start on releasing their purple-black juice by tossing them with sugar and letting them sit while we make the Cobbler batter.

As for the dough, it all comes together in a bowl with a few pantry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, and vanilla. Bake the casserole dish in the oven with some butter until the butter has melted, then pour the batter over it and sprinkle the berries over it. The cobbler bakes until deep golden brown.

All about blackberries

The blackberries you buy at the store are all relatively sweet with a nice acidity. But summer wouldn't be complete without a chance to pick berries. You may find that blackberries vary greatly depending on the variety and where you pick them.

For example, many different varieties of blackberries are grown on farms in the Pacific Northwest because the climate is particularly good for growing berries. These cultivated berries have great flavor and sweetness, however some are more tart and some are sweeter.

Picking wild blackberries is a different story. Some can be large and sweet, others small and bitter or very sour. Taste your fruit before baking and adjust the recipe accordingly. Sour berries require more sugar. Very sweet berries benefit from an extra squeeze of lemon juice. You may find that some wild blackberries are so tacky and bitter that they are best left to the birds.

How to substitute other fruits

Cobbler is a super versatile format. Any berry can be replaced with the blackberry without major adjustments. However, it's always a good idea to taste the fruit to gauge its sweetness. Stone fruits such as apricots, peaches and plums can be substituted. Just core and chop. Thick-skinned peaches should be peeled, but many peaches have thin skins that can be left in place.

You can also use a combination of fruits, such as blackberries and chopped apples or apricots and raspberries. If you only use apples or pears, it's a good idea to pre-cook the fruit with sugar and spices to make them more tender.

Flavor the Blackberry Cobbler

While you don't need to add anything special to make a great blackberry cobbler, there are a few things you can add to enhance the flavor. For a lemony accent, rub lemon or orange zest into the sugar. Add ground ginger or cinnamon to the cobbler topping. Diced candied ginger is a nice addition to the berry mix.

How to bake Blackberry Cobbler in different sized pans

This cobbler is prepared in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or 2-quart casserole dish, but there are other options that work well. Any 9″ ovenproof pan will work here, as well as any 9″ square or round casserole dish, including cake or tart pans.

You can also bake individual cobblers in ramekins or small gratin dishes. The number of servings depends on the size of the dishes you plan to use. However, if you use 8-ounce ramekins, expect to make 8 servings. Add 1 tablespoon butter to each ramekin, place ramekins in oven to melt butter, then divide batter and berries evenly among ramekins. The baking time is closer to 25 minutes.

How to serve Blackberry Cobbler

Blackberry cobbler is best served slightly warm, but tastes great at room temperature too. Cold blackberry cobbler is great for breakfast the morning after the cookout with some Greek yogurt. While blackberry cobbler doesn't technically need a side, it wouldn't be right to skip the vanilla ice cream. Other types of ice cream, such as peach or pistachio ice cream, also taste great. Or serve with whipped cream or vanilla sauce.

Blackberry Cobbler Making Tips

• use of frozen fruit — You can substitute fresh berries with an equal amount of frozen berries. You don't need to thaw the berries.
• Use of self-raising flour — If desired, substitute 1 cup self-raising flour for the all-purpose flour. Omit baking powder and salt.