Berries make me greedy. They are so appealing, bursting with color and sweetness and there is something just so damn cheerful about berries. But let’s face it, they aren’t cheap—so when I get access to a large amount of berries, I get very excited. And when I decide to make a berry-centric dessert, never mind the cost, it feels very extravagant and indulgent, in a good way.
This Old Fashioned Berry Cobbler is stuffed with raspberries and blueberries, and could also be joined by strawberries or any other kind of berry you like. If you include strawberries, cut them in halves or quarters, depending on their size, so they are somewhat related in size to the other berries, and easy to get on your fork.
Thickening Up the Cobbler a Smidge
Tossing the berries with some sugar and a little lemon juice and cornstarch helps create a little binder so as the berries release their juices they thicken up. You could add more cornstarch, which will create a thicker sauce, but I don’t like to taste the cornstarch, so I keep it to a minimum. The cobbler will be pretty juicy, but that’s what the biscuits are for.
It’s really best to use your hands when you are tossing berries in a bowl. No matter how gentle you are, a spoon will probably crush some of them, and you have more gentle control with your hands.
Old Fashioned Berry Cobbler: This berry cobbler recipe is the height of summer indulgence and a beautiful finale to any festive dinner.
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Biscuit Topping
Instead of doing drop biscuits on the berry filling, or one big piece of top crust, for this cobbler I gently pressed out the dough, and then cut it into wedges.
When the wedges get transferred to the top of the cobbler, they should be separated so that the filling can peek out between the dough.
I wish I had used a slightly larger baking dish, because the biscuit wedges kind of melded back together as they baked and a little more bright berry filling showing would have been pretty. There is always a next time.
I always love a hit of lemon in (well in anything, really—you may have noticed….) all fruit desserts. In this case I used lemon zest in the biscuit-ey part, and juice in the berry filling. There is also a touch of cinnamon in the dough, which is so nice.
Do not forget either vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Other berry recipes for when you’re flush with berries!
- Summer Berry Clafoutis with Whipped Cream
- Simple Raspberry Fool
- Berry Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
- Patriotic Berry Cobbler with Whipped Cream
- Sour Cream Biscuit Peach and Berry Cobbler
- Watermelon Strawberry Smoothie
- Raspberry Streusel Coffee Cake with Sweet Vanilla Drizzle
Old Fashioned Berry Cobbler
Ingredients
For the Berry Filling
- 7 cups mixed berries larger strawberries, halved or quartered
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
For the Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- ¾ cup whole milk
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place the berries in a large bowl and sprinkle over the 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Use your fingers to toss the berries so that they are coated with the sugar mixture. Turn the berries into a deep 9-inch round baking dish (or use an oval one of similar size).
- Place the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Turn the mixture into a bowl, pour in the milk, and stir just until a dough forms. Lightly flour a clean surface and turn the dough onto the surface and pat it into a 6 or 7-inch round. Cut the dough into 6 wedges, like a pizza. Carefully transfer the dough to the top of the berries. Arranging the wedges so that berry filling peeks from between each of the pieces of dough (see the photos if this isn’t clear!).
- Lightly brush the tops of the dough wedges with milk, and lightly sprinkle them with sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the dough is golden brown and cooked through and the berry filling is bubbling.
- Cool on a wire rack until just warm, and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition values are provided as an estimate. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional.
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