There is nothing more summery than a warm, rich cobbler. This mixed berry cobbler is a combination of jammy, sweet blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries layered with a lightly sweet whole wheat biscuit topping and baked to bubbly perfection.
If you’ve never tackled a cobbler before, then summer is the time to give it a whirl. This season has so many delicious, juicy options for your fruit filling. Peaches, blackberries, cherries, mixed berries, you name it. If it’s a fruit, it can go in a cobbler.
The beauty about cobblers is that they are pretty simple and very forgiving desserts. You don’t have to be a professional pastry chef–or dessert magician, as I like to call them–to make cobbler. There’s no need for expensive ingredients or fancy equipment. You don’t even need a rolling pin!
All you need is a handful simple ingredients, like berries, sugar, flour, butter, and cornstarch, a few basic kitchen essentials, and an oven to craft a crowd-pleasing dessert.
Oh and maybe grab a carton or two of vanilla ice cream. Talk about a match made in heaven. Plus there’s nothing a dollop of ice cream can’t cover up. 🙂
What is a Cobbler
Cobbler is an American dessert featuring a cooked fruit filling that is covered with a sweet biscuit topping (almost resembling shortcake) and baked until bubbling and golden brown. In some regions of the US, cobbler might also have a thick bottom crust as well. The most popular variety is peach cobbler, but blackberry, blueberry, cherry, and mixed berry cobblers are also fairly common.
Ingredients
- Mixed berries – fresh or frozen blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and/or cherries are perfect for this cobbler. We generally use fresh berries in the summer and frozen berries in the winter. Frozen berries will speed up the cooking process somewhat and cook down into a more jammy cobbler. Fresh berries are more robust and will hold their shape a little better when baked.
- Sugar – to macerate the berries as they cook, which helps pull out their juices, softens them, and of course, sweetens them.
- Cornstarch – thickening agent for the berry mixture.
- Whole wheat flour – we like to use equal parts white whole wheat and all-purpose flour for the biscuits to add a tiny bit of macro nutrients.
- Lemon juice and zest – lemon juice and lemon zest add a hint of tanginess to balance out the sweetness of the berries.
- Butter – we use vegan butter because it is considerably lower in fat than regular butter. It does make the biscuit dough more cakey than flakey. If that’s not your jam, feel free to sub in unsalted butter.
- Baking powder – leavening agent to lift up the biscuits.
- Salt – to help bring out the buttery and sweet flavors of the biscuits.
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How to Make Mixed Berry Cobbler
Berry Filling
In a medium sauce pan, dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix in the berries and stir well to combine.
Bring the berry mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat until the berries are simmering. Simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked berries to a 2 quart oval baking dish, 9 inch pie pan, or 8 inch square cake pan. Set aside.
Biscuit Topping
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a fork to combine. Cut in 4 tablespoons of chilled and cubed butter and distribute the butter using a pastry cutter. Work the butter in until small pebbles appear in the flour mixture. Stir in the boiling water and mix to incorporate.
Turn out the biscuit dough on a large sheet of parchment paper. Break the dough into small pieces and flatten with your palm to form rough round biscuits about ½ inch thick. The dough will be slightly sticky, so you may need to refrigerate a few minutes before forming.
Evenly place the biscuits on top of the berry mixture. Depending on the width of the pan used, the biscuits may or may not cover the majority of the berry mixture.
Bake the Cobbler
Bake the cobbler 20 to 25 minutes, or until the berries are bubbling and the biscuits are lightly golden brown. Note that depending on your oven and type of berries (fresh or frozen) used, this cobbler may take up to 40 minutes to cook.
Remove from the oven and let it cool for about 20 minutes to allow the berry filling to thicken. Serve alone or with your favorite ice cream!
Tips for Making Cobbler
- Don’t rely on time – your cook time might differ from the time listed due to using a different proportion of berries, different moisture content of berries, or even your type of oven. Instead of relying on time, check for bubbling filling and golden brown biscuits. If the biscuits brown before the filling bubbles, cover with tin foil to prevent burning.
- Filling consistency depends on type of berries used – depending on the berries you use, you may Have a runnier cobbler. Strawberries have the highest water content, then raspberries and blueberries, and lastly blackberries. When using fresh berries we generally using 2 cups blackberries, 2 cups blueberries, 1 cup strawberries, and 1 cup raspberries. Using frozen berries will result in higher water content, so you may need to increase the amount of cornstarch used to achieve a thicker consistency, if desired.
- Don’t overwork the biscuit dough – stirring and rolling the dough too much can result in tough, flat biscuits. Combine the ingredients for the biscuit dough until just incorporated. Flatten the biscuits with your hand to the desired thickness and layer over the berries. It’s not a precise science.
- Refrigerate sticky dough – if your dough is too sticky, try refrigerating it for 10-15 minutes before forming the biscuits.
- Use fresh baking powder – had your baking powder for years? Might be time for a new canister. Expired baking powder could result in flat biscuits.
- Place a baking sheet on the bottom oven rack – cobblers by nature bubble when they’re cooked and sometimes that results in the filling bubbling over. Place a baking sheet on the oven rack below the cobbler to catch any runoff. This will help prevent a mess in your oven.
How to Store
- Refrigerate: this cobbler will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The biscuits will become soggier the longer it is stored. Reheat as needed.
- Freeze – for optimum freshness, it is best to not freeze fully formed cobbler, as the biscuits will not raise well. The best option is to make the berry filling, allow it to cool completely, and then freeze up to 3 months in the freezer. When you want to make cobbler, thaw the berries overnight in the fridge and proceed according to directions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is the difference between pie and cobbler – pies are made with pastry dough lining the bottom and sides of the pan and sometimes over the top of the filling as well. Conversely, cobblers feature berry filling that is topped with sweet biscuit dough and don’t typically have a bottom or side crust. However, in the south it is more common for cobblers to also have a thick bottom crust, similar to pies.
- How do you make cobbler not runny – add cornstarch to the berry mixture to make it thicker and less runny. You can also use fresh berries instead of frozen, as they will have lower water content and result in a more robust filling. Or modify the berry makeup to include more berries that are lower in water content, like blackberries.
- Can I freeze cobbler – yes! But it’s best to make the berry filling only and not the biscuits, as the biscuits will not raise well once frozen. Allow the filling to cool, then freeze it up to 3 months. When you want to make the cobbler, thaw the filling in the fridge overnight, then make the biscuit dough fresh and proceed as written in the recipe.
- Can I use frozen berries in cobbler – yes! We use frozen berries in the winter when fresh berries aren’t as readily available or juicy. Just note that the cobbler may be a little runnier than when using fresh berries.
Let us know what you think about this recipe for mixed berry cobbler by dropping a comment and/or rating on the recipe card below! Also, please consider sharing on social media/Pinterest if you enjoyed this recipe! We greatly appreciate it!
Check out our other healthy dessert recipes:
- Cherry cobbler
- Blackberry cobbler
- Chocolate hazelnut avocado mousse
- Avocado brownies
- Chocolate chip banana bread
Mixed Berry Cobbler
Ingredients
Mixed Filling
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ c cold water
- 6 c mixed berries, frozen or fresh (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and/or cherries)
- â…“ c sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 lemon, zested
Biscuits
- ½ c white whole wheat flour
- ½ c unbleached all purpose flour
- â…“ c sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp vegan, low fat, or unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- ¼ c boiling water
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix in the berries and stir well to combine.
- Bring the berry mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat until the berries are simmering. Simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked berries to a 2 quart oval baking dish, 9 inch pie pan, or 8 inch square cake pan. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix with a fork to combine. Cut in 4 tablespoons of chilled and cubed butter and distribute the butter using a pastry cutter. Work the butter in until small pebbles appear in the flour mixture. Stir in the boiling water and mix to incorporate.
- Turn out the biscuit dough on a large sheet of parchment paper. Break the dough into small pieces and flatten with your palm to form rough round biscuits about ½ inch thick. The dough will be slightly sticky, so you may need to refrigerate a few minutes before forming.
- Evenly place the biscuits on top of the berry mixture. Depending on the width of the pan used, the biscuits may or may not cover the majority of the berry mixtures.
- Bake the cobbler 20 to 25 minutes, or until the berries are bubbling and the biscuits are lightly golden brown. Note that depending on your oven, this cobbler may take up to 40 minutes to cook.
- Remove from heat and let it cool for about 20 minutes to allow the berry filling to thicken. Serve alone or with your favorite ice cream!
Notes
- What is the difference between pie and cobbler – pies are made with pastry dough lining the bottom and sides of the pan and sometimes over the top of the filling as well. Conversely, cobblers feature berry filling that is topped with sweet biscuit dough and don’t typically have a bottom or side crust. However, in the south it is more common for cobblers to also have a thick bottom crust, similar to pies.
- How do you make cobbler not runny – add cornstarch to the berry mixture to make it thicker and less runny. You can also use fresh berries instead of frozen, as they will have lower water content and result in a more robust filling. Or modify the berry makeup to include more berries that are lower in water content, like blackberries.
- Can I freeze cobbler – yes! But it’s best to make the berry filling only and not the biscuits, as the biscuits will not raise well once frozen. Allow the filling to cool, then freeze it up to 3 months. When you want to make the cobbler, thaw the filling in the fridge overnight, then make the biscuit dough fresh and proceed as written in the recipe.
- Can I use frozen berries in cobbler – yes! We use frozen berries in the winter when fresh berries aren’t as readily available or juicy. Just note that the cobbler may be a little runnier than when using fresh berries.
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