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Black Raspberry Cobbler ~ A classic dessert cobbled together in a flash
Make the most of your summer berries!
My mom was a very good baker and we all loved her desserts, cookies and cobblers. Every summer, when I was young, we dressed in long sleeved shirts, long pants and a healthy dose of bug spray, and headed out in the early morning hours to pick wild blackberries.
This was a family affair enjoyed by parents and children alike. We knew if we picked buckets full of ripe berries, my mom would make her famous blackberry cobbler and a big batch of amazing jam.
When our children were small we carried on the tradition by picking blackberries until our fingers turned purple.
I always made my mom’s cobbler recipe using pie crust in a kind-of “free-floating” soupy cobbler. Amazing, delicious stuff. I posted it a few years ago HERE. When I mentioned to my son that I’d picked berries at Miller Farms Market, he wanted to know what time they should stop by for some Black Raspberry Cobbler.
Black raspberries are sweeter than their red cousins and more like blackberries without seeds.
My husband declared they are his favorite berry – which was news to me after 30 years of marriage! Anyway – I wanted to make a traditional cobbler with a sweet biscuit top so I cobbled the ingredients together and popped it in the oven!
Cobblers can be made with pastry crust or drop biscuit toppings
I thought it looked and tasted pretty terrific but both my son and husband mentioned it wasn’t like the one I always made with pie crust. They said it was really good but I could sense the disappointment. Don’t you know I’ll be making another cobbler that my family will enjoy even more – Â but hey I’m a food blogger, I’ve gotta try new recipes along with the old ones.
Guess I should have known … you can’t mess with family recipes. Please check out my Mom’s Blackberry Cobbler if you want something different and delicious!
The cobbler was made in a 9-inch cast iron skillet. If you have something smaller, the biscuit topping would cover the berries more completely. It’s all good!
Served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream I think my guys liked it just fine – it’s all gone so somebody enjoyed a bowl or two 🙂
Thanks for PINNING!
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Black Raspberry Cobbler
Ingredients
For the berries:
- 6 cups black raspberries or other berries
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¾ cup boiling water
- 1 tablespoon butter
For the shortcake biscuits:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into ½ inch pieces
- ¾ cup buttermilk well shaken
- coarse sugar and milk for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
To prepare the berries:
- In a large saucepan combine ¾ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and ¾ cup of boiling water. Warm over medium-high heat until the mixture boils, cook for 1 minute or until it starts to thicken. Add the black raspberries and stir gently. Heat until the berries are hot. Do not boil or overcook. You don't want the berries to completely break down.
- Pour the berry mixture into a 9-inch cast iron skillet or other deep baking dish. Dot with the 1 tablespoon of butter. Set aside.
To prepare the biscuits:
- In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Some chunks of butter the size of peas is okay. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine.
- Drop scoopfuls of dough on top of the berries.
- Brush the biscuits with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake 30-40 minutes or until the biscuits are lightly browned and the berries are bubbly. Cool slightly before serving.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Here are a few more of our favorite cobblers you might enjoy:
Savory Tomato Cobbler – it’s hard to come up with enough superlatives to describe this wonderful, delicious cobbler! It’s slightly sweet, savory, rich and absolutely delightful direct from our garden to the table!
Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler with Shortcake Biscuit Crust – homey and comforting just like mom used to make!
Bake the season with our Easy Strawberry Cobbler. Dessert doesn’t get much better than this!
Susan
I made this yesterday ,July 23 rd from farm picked black raspberries & it was fantastic .Thank you for this recipe
Susan from Canada
Tricia Buice
Outstanding!Thank you for trying is Susan and for letting us know that it worked for you. Hope you’re having a great summer! Canada is moving up on our bucket list of places to see next – so we may be coming for a visit 🙂 Have a wonderful day and thanks again.
Karly
Woah. My stomach is growling, my mouth is watering and suddenly I have the urge to go pick a basket full of berries myself, despite my distaste for nature. I MUST try this ASAP!
Tricia Buice
You are going to LOVE this Karly! Nothing like fresh fruit desserts. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Lee
Hello,
Thank you for the recipe.
I’m not that experienced a cook so I have a question about the butter that is listed under the Berries ingredients — it doesn’t appear in the text. Is it meant to be used with the berries or only in the dough?
Thanks so much!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Lee! I forgot to add the instruction about the 1 tablespoon of butter. I have updated the recipe. Thank you so much! I hope you will come back again and also hope you enjoy the recipe. Thanks and have a great weekend!
Abbe @ This is How I Cook
Well, I know abut messing with recipes, but no complaints here! That looks scrumptious. Can’t wait to see the next one!
Tricia Buice
Haha – Thanks Abbe! Can’t get enough of these berry desserts 🙂
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a black raspberry but after looking at those cobbler photos, I want to know what I’ve been waiting for. This looks amazing!
Tricia Buice
You are going to love them Maureen – they are sweeter than a blackberries and you won’t miss the seeds! Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!
Kennedy Cole| KCole's Creative Corner
I can’t believe I’ve never tried a black raspberry! They look so delicious, and I’m sure they taste it, too! We always make blackberry cobblers, but we will definitely have to try it with black raspberries next time. Yum!
Tricia Buice
I haven’t eaten a lot of black raspberries either – but I am a fan now! We also love blackberries and blueberries has strawberries too – can’t get enough. Thanks for stopping by!
Toni | Boulder Locavore
Cobblers are the signature dessert of summer to me and yours is a beauty. Love that you adapted a 1950s recipe. That speaks volumes. Cobblers do stand the test of time without trying to be anything other than what they are.
Tricia Buice
I love the old recipes Toni – sometimes simple is best. I picked blackberries today – and picked up fresh corn. It was a good day for fruit and vegetables! Hope you have a great weekend.
Susan
Is there anything better than a dessert with fruit that you picked yourself? I don’t think so! I remember picking raspberries, currants, nuts, etc., with my mother too. Great memories and a great dessert, Tricia!
Tricia Buice
Picking currants – how cool! I wish we had some nut trees 🙂 I did pick blackberries this morning – so the family favorite will begin the oven this weekend. Hope you have a lovely weekend and thanks for stopping by Susan!
2 Sisters Recipes
Oh MY ! This is an amazing- fabulous cobbler Tricia, and the ice cream on top- need I say more?
Have a great weekend!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Anna – hope you are doing great – happy weekend! Yeah Friday!
Monica
I’ve got to get some black raspberry now! This cobbler looks gorgeous. And I totally understand how you mean about old family favorites…you always want to go for the family/crowd-pleaser but if we don’t try something new every so often, we’d miss some great discoveries along the way. This is just beautiful!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Monica – I picked blackberries this morning so I can make the “family favorite” this weekend. My son should be happy! Hope you have a terrific weekend.
Mandy
Oh Tricia, what an incredible dessert. I am actually salivating here – fabulous! I would love to be a guinea pig in your home any day of the week. 😀
Have a wonderful weekend.
🙂 Mandy xo
Tricia Buice
Thank you very much Mandy! I hope you have a wonderful weekend too 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Monique
Superb Tricia!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Monique! Have a terrific weekend 🙂
Becky Green
This DOES LOOK GOOD, Tricia! 😉 It reminded me to ask my hubby if he’s seen any of our blackberries while he’s been out….not yet! 😉 YUMMY!!!!!! 😉
Tricia Buice
That’s what I need to do Becky – send my husband out to pick for me! Have a great weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!
Chris Scheuer
Haha, I had to laugh, my family is often the same way. But you’re right, you’ll never discover great new recipes (that they just might like better than the old standby) if you don’t experiment a bit :). I haven’t had black raspberries since we moved from Wisconsin 30 years ago. I’m quite jealous that you have a patch where you can pick them. I might have to hop in the car next summer and take a little trip one state up! I’m afraid my car would be hanging heavy on the back end as the trunk would be FILLED with those jewels!
Tricia Buice
Traditions die hard Chris. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks!
sue|theviewfromgreatisland
This post makes me weak at the knees, the photos are incredible, and I adore black raspberries – we used to pick them when we lived in New Hampshire, and I agree with your husband, they are the best berry ever. This is just gorgeous, Tricia!
Tricia Buice
Thanks so much Sue 🙂 I know you must miss the northeast and I bet you had great blueberries too!
Pam
Oh my gosh, Tricia! This is what dessert means to me! Your cobbler looks fantastic and I love that it’s soupy and not real dry. I remember those purple fingers well, and that is before there was any such thing as bug spray. 🙂 Great post and pics for a great treat! Thanks for sharing!
Tricia Buice
Thanks so much Pam! Summer berries sure make me happy – I just love to pick, clean and then bake them into something wonderful that will make people happy. Especially my family 🙂 Have a fantastic weekend!
Sheena @ Tea and Biscuits
I used to pick wild blackberries when I was a child too, they called them brambles over there. I love the look of the cobbler topping, looks light and fluffy!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Sheena – brambles or blackberries, we love them all! Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Beautiful! There is no better comfort food than a summer fruit cobbler 🙂
Tricia Buice
Thanks Jennifer – all your skillet cobblers are beautiful!
Angie@Angie's Recipes
wow…this looks too pretty to eat, Tricia. I would love a large bowl for the dinner!
Tricia Buice
I think my husband had a big bowl for dinner – biscuits and fruit – sounds like breakfast food to me! Thanks Angie – have a lovely weekend!