Old-Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler

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4.91 from 76 votes

Old-fashioned blackberry cobbler with layers of flaky pastry and juicy tart blackberries.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blackberry, cobbler, pie

Servings:

Calories: 249kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

1 double pie crust recipe
1 cup granulated sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch (see notes)
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup boiling water
4 cups blackberries
juice of ½ lemon (if needed to add tartness)
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
1 large egg lightly beaten
coarse sugar for topping

Instructions

Prepare a double crust pie pastry and refrigerate until needed.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. Lightly grease an 8 or 9-inch casserole dish or oven-proof skillet with vegetable cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan mix together 1 cup of sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and boiling water. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil over medium heat. Boil 5 minutes stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the blackberries and any accumulated juice. Stir gently until the blackberries release some juice. Set aside.
Cut one of the pastry disks in half and roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8th inch thick. Cut the pastry into a square roughly the same size as the prepared pan. Reserve any pastry scraps. Place the pastry square on the parchment lined baking sheet and bake until firm, lightly browned with bubbles starting to form on the crust, about 10 minutes. This will be used for the middle layer of the cobbler. Set aside.
While the pastry square is baking, roll out the remaining whole disk of dough to at least a 12x12-inch square, about ⅛ inch thick. Gently ease the dough into the prepared dish pressing gently into the corners without stretching. Trim the edges of the dough leaving a ½-inch overhang all the way around. This overhang will be folded up and over the lattice top. Collect any scraps of dough and put them together with the remaining ½ disc of pastry.
Spoon half the blackberry mixture into the prepared pan. Top with the pre-baked pastry square, then add all the remaining blackberry mixture. Dot the blackberries with butter.
Roll out the remaining dough to a 10-inch square (for 9-inch pan). Cut the dough into 8 or 10 strips and weave a lattice crust on top. Trim the excess dough to the same size as the overhang. Lightly dampen the top and bottom edges of the dough strips with a wet finger. Fold the excess overhang up and over the edges of the strips to seal. Crimp or seal the edges with a fork.
Brush the pastry with the beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Place the baking pan on the parchment lined baking sheet to catch any juice that may bubble over. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking for about 45 to 55 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. If the crust is browning too quickly, tent the cobbler with foil as needed.
Cool to room temperature or serve warm topped with ice cream or lightly sweeten cream if desired.

Notes

Try our homemade double crust pastry recipe
If the blackberries lack tartness add the juice of 1/2 a lemon to the blackberry mixture with the berries.
Use fresh or frozen berries for this recipe. Do not thaw the berries before adding to the hot sugar mixture.
This recipe also works well with blueberries.
Cornstarch: If you prefer a juicy cobbler, use only 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. For a thicker sauce as seen in the photos, use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. I’ve made this cobbler for more than 30 years and usually use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch as my family prefers the cobbler extra juicy. Using 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch is perfect and the best of both worlds.
This cobbler can be adapted using a drop biscuit topping instead of crust if you prefer. Make the berry mixture and pour into the prepared pan. Cover the berries with mounds of the biscuit topping and bake. Our best recipe for a biscuit topping can be found on our Easy Plum Cobbler recipe.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition