Blackberry Cobbler
This Blackberry Cobbler has a thick, bubbly layer of jammy blackberries topped with perfectly lightly buttery, sweet, golden-brown biscuits. It pairs beautifully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Blackberry Filling
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ c cold water
- 6 c blackberries (fresh or frozen) *see recipe notes
- ⅓ c sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 lemon, zested
Biscuits
- ½ c white whole wheat flour
- ½ c unbleached all purpose flour
- ⅓ 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 blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
- Bring the berry mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat until the berries are simmering. For fresh berries, simmer covered for 20 minutes. For frozen berries, simmer covered for 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked berries to an 8 inch square baking dish or a 1½ quart oval baking dish (pictured in recipe post). 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. The biscuits should cover the majority of the berries. 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
- Using fresh berries will likely result in a cobbler with larger, more robust fruit chunks, whereas frozen berries will break down more easily and result in a more jammy cobbler. We have made it both ways and it is delicious either way! Frozen berries do make for a quicker cobbler.
- This cobbler may take up to 40 minutes to bake, depending on your oven. This recipe is based on our conventional oven. The key indicators of a cooked cobbler are bubbling around the edges and a lightly golden brown biscuit top. If your biscuits brown before your berries are bubbling, you may want to cover the top with a layer of foil to prevent further browning and increase the cooking time until the berries are bubbling.
FAQs:
- What is the difference between blackberry pie and blackberry 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.
- Do you bake cobbler covered or uncovered - uncovered. You only need to cover the top if the biscuits start to brown before the filling is bubbling to prevent burning.
- How do you make cobbler not runny/soggy - 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.
- 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 cherries in the winter when fresh cherries aren't as readily available or juicy. Just note that the cobbler may be a little runnier than when using fresh berries.