Homemade Blackberry Cobbler is an easy, scrumptious dessert featuring plump, tart berries ribboned through a layer of sweet, tender cake. Don't forget the vanilla ice cream!
One of my favorite summer desserts is cobbler. And while that often brings to mind peaches, I also love to change things up with Blackberry Cobbler! I don't know about you, but there aren't many baked desserts that bring summer to my mind more than a homemade cobbler...served warm, oozing with fruit, and topped with vanilla ice cream. And blackberries add such delicious flavor and gorgeous color to this popular seasonal treat!
I realize that different regions around the country make different versions of cobbler. And while they all involve fruit and some type of dough or batter, there are various expectations of what a cobbler should truly be. Well, I'm not here to argue technical or historical definitions, but I would venture to claim that this Blackberry Cobbler recipe is a pretty common manifestation of cobbler in the south.
How to Make Blackberry Cobbler
Your start with your fruit. As I previously mentioned, in Texas, that typically means peaches or blackberries, since those are abundant through the summer in these parts. Of course, when your favorite stone fruit or berry is out of season, frozen fruit makes a great substitute for fresh.
So here's how ya make this easy, homemade cobbler:
- Cook your desired fruit with a simple syrup until it gets thick and, well, syrupy.
- Whip up a basic batter.
- Melt your butter in a baking dish.
- Pour the batter into the dish and spoon the fruit on top.
- Bake and enjoy!
And that's it friends! But before you dig in, I feel obligated to mention something that I often get questions about...
An Important Note!
When you spoon the blackberries on top of the batter, the fruit will initially sink. However, as your cobbler bakes, some of the berries will rise a bit. The result is a cake-like dessert with a gorgeous, fruity layer ribboned throughout.
So -- here's the important part -- that's why the photos in this post show blackberry deliciousness on the bottom of the baking dish...even though the instructions tell you to spoon the fruit on top of the batter.
How to Serve Blackberry Cobbler
Have I mentioned ice cream yet? In my humble opinion, cobbler is best served warm (either fresh out of the oven or reheated). And it must be topped with vanilla ice cream. If you're feeling particularly industrious, homemade ice cream is even better. 😉
I'm not ashamed to admit that I've been known to enjoy this Blackberry Cobbler for breakfast. It's made with fruit, right? So it can't be that bad. Of course, it's easier to justify eating cobbler for breakfast than ice cream, but what's a girl to do?
Well, let me tell you what a girl does. A girl gets a carton of vanilla yogurt out of the fridge and spoons that on top of her cobbler for a perfectly acceptable breakfast variation. Brilliant, right? And, I can assure you, also delicious.
So the next time you have an occasion to make a summertime sweet treat -- like perhaps this weekend? -- go for this glorious, homemade, easy Blackberry Cobbler!
It's like the downhome comfort food of desserts.
And rumor has it it can even double as breakfast. 😉
More Berry Favorites
Blackberry Cobbler
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh blackberries
- 1 ½ cups sugar, divided
- ½ cup water
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups milk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium pot, combine blackberries, 1 cup sugar, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
- While blackberries are cooking, whisk together flour, remaining ½ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Slowly blend in milk and vanilla and mix until batter is smooth.
- Put butter (sliced into 6 equal pieces) in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and place in preheated oven for a couple of minutes to melt. Remove dish from oven and tilt so that butter evenly coats the bottom. Slowly pour batter over melted butter. Gently spoon berries and syrup evenly over batter without stirring.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until cobbler is light golden brown and tests done with a toothpick inserted in the center. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Video
Notes
- A 16-ounce bag of frozen blackberries (thawed) may be substituted for fresh.
- The blackberries will start to break down when they are simmered. If you prefer some whole blackberries in your cobbler, you may simmer only 3 cups of berries with the sugar and water and then stir in the remaining 1 cup of berries after removing from the heat.
- Blackberries are typically pretty tart, but if you use particularly sweet blackberries, you may reduce the sugar used in the simple syrup.
- The blackberries and syrup are to be spooned on top of the batter. However, the berries will sink through the batter and then partially rise as the cobbler bakes. This is why you see the blackberry layer at the bottom of the cobbler in the photos.
Post originally published on May 26, 2014.
Brooke
This was excellent! Husband and I were impressed. We think it's more of a breakfast option. I used frozen blackberries and I also used bisquick (lazy). I printed this out and will be making in the near future!
Carolyn
Love this cobbler. Last summer was the first time my blackberries really produced a
lot of fruit. I made the cobbler 4 or 5 times. PERFECT! Thanks!
Emily
Added a little cornstarch and water to help the syrup thicken. Came out fantastic!