Nancy’s Cobbler

My mother in law would have been the first to tell you she wasn’t a great cook.  When I first came on the scene she welcomed me into her kitchen.  As I grew more confident in the kitchen, she often even let me have the run of it.  I loved having space to cook, and I think she enjoyed not having to cook.  Win, win!

Despite her lack of love for cooking, there were two dishes, she OWNED.  One was potato salad.  Not being a mayonnaise lover her mostly mustard based potato salad finally gave me the ability to enjoy the stuff.  The other was her cobbler.  It was her go to dessert for entertaining.  She was very conscious of what she ate for health reasons, and so it was often made with whole wheat flour and sucanet.

When she passed away my sister in law and I both went looking for the recipe.  The one we found in the cookbook she used was good…but didn’t quite hit the mark for me.  After some tweaking and playing, I think this recipe is closer to how she made it.

She always made hers with blackberries (usually frozen), however I really like to combine fruits, and use up whatever I may have on hand.  At the beginning of the summer I mixed nectarines, fresh picked strawberries, and some blackberries….pretty sure it was my favorite combination yet!  I really like mixing stone fruits and berries because the sweetness and tartness combine well and give great balance!

I love cooking this in a cast iron skillet.  Its helps give a crispness to the outer edge that adds great texture.  If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, a 9×9 pan will do, or an oven safe large pyrex bowl.  I’ve made this for a crowd several times by simply doubling the recipe and baking in a 9×13 pan.  If you’re up for the extra work, it also looks quite adorable in mason jars!  My husband doesn’t think there is enough room for ice cream when I serve it like that, however he also thinks the sole purpose of cobbler is an excuse to eat ice cream.

Nancy’s Cobbler:

adapted from Virginia Willis, Bon Appetit Y’all

*I make this from memory most times, as I simply remember the ingredients are 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2

Topping:

1 stick of melted butter/or 1/2 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup of milk

1 cup of flour/1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup of sugar/1 cup coconut sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

dash of salt

dash of cinnamon

Fruit:

4 cups of any combination of nectarines, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries,  or plums*

This couldn’t be simpler!  Throw fruit in a greased cast iron skillet (or other vessel mentioned above).  I don’t typically peel my stone fruits, simply slice them but you can proceed however you choose.  In a separate bowl add topping ingredients in order and then stir until just combined (don’t over stir!).  Pour over fruit and bake at 350 for about an hour.

*I don’t like super sweet desserts, and considering this dish is typically served with ice cream, this is all the sweetness I need.  However if you are using just blackberries, and they are tart, you may consider sprinkling a bit of sugar over them before adding the topping.

I made the healthier version noted above this weekend, and couldn’t hardly tell a difference!  A great way to make better choices, but still splurge on dessert!