I've tried a lot of good blackberry cobbler recipes and have finally found my favorite. It's called Shiny Top Blackberry Cobbler, and it's a cobbler made with cornstarch. It also happens to be just like my step-grandma's. She was famous for her cobbler which she made with Texas grown dewberries. This cobbler, which I've tested with fresh blackberries and frozen blueberries, is very similar.
My version is from the great cooking teacher, scientist, baker and author Greg Patent. He got the recipe from a friend who found it in an old magazine. This would be on track with how my grandma got it. The recipe involves layering berries, biscuit batter, sugar & cornstarch and pouring boiling water on top. The result is a cobbler with big chunks of firm berries and pieces of lightly sweet biscuit that soak up the juice.
Butter Amount and Type of Berries
Another nice thing about this recipe is that it calls for only 4 tablespoons of butter. It does have quite a bit of sugar, but I honestly didn't find it too sweet with the amounts listed. It may vary with different fruit. As mentioned my grandma used dewberries. I've used Sweet Karoline's organic blackberries which are less seedy and taste somewhat like dewberries. I've also tested with frozen blueberries. Next up will be rhubarb, cherries and maybe frozen mixed berries during winter. This cobbler is just so fun to make. If you have a child or grandchild, call them in to help!
Instructions for Shiny Top Blackberry Cobbler
Here's a quick rundown of the steps which might be helpful because the method is a little unusual. In these photos I'm making a smaller batch version using a 4x8 inch casserole dish and ⅓ of the ingredients. A full batch version goes in a 12x8 inch pan.
- Lay your berries in a greased casserole dish and toss them with some fresh lemon juice.
- Prepare a drop biscuit type batter and spoon over top. Spread in a thin layer. It will barely cover.
- Sprinkle a mixture of sugar and cornstarch over the batter.
- Pour hot water over the sugar mixture and bake for an hour.
Variations
I've tested with fresh blackberries and frozen blueberries. If using frozen blueberries, you can put them in the dish without thawing.
- Cake Donut Flavor - Add a little mace or nutmeg plus a pinch of cinnamon to the flour mixture. The biscuits will taste like cake donuts.
- Cardamom Spice - Cardamom goes well with blackberries and blueberries, so you can try tossing the berries with a little cardamom before layering them in the bowl.
- Other Fruits - I'll update when I try this with cherries, but I think it would be wonderful with cherries and a little almond extract.
Small vs. Regular Size Batches
This recipe serves 8 to 10 people, but you can easily make a smaller batch by using ⅓ or ½ the ingredients. I've been making smaller batches using 2 cups of fruit and ⅓ the filling and topping. For half batch, you might want to go with 3 cups of fruit and use an 8-inch square pan.
Serving and Storing
You can serve this at room temperature or warm. I like it warm. It also needs to be served in a bowl because it is a thinner cobbler with a lot of fruit and not so much bread. To store, cover the whole pan with foil or plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator.
Recipe
Shiny Top Blackberry Cobbler
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh berries (36 oz or about 2 ¼ pounds)
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
Biscuit Mixture
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (180 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sugar (50 grams)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- ⅔ cup milk (170 grams)
Glossy Sugar Topping
- 1 ¼ cups sugar (240 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch (12 grams)
- 1 cup boiling water (230 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8x12 inch or 3 quart casserole.
- Spread berries over the bottom of the baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ¼ cup sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until coarse.
- Add milk and stir just until soft and blended, then drop by small spoonfuls over the berries. Start with the edges and continue putting drops in the middle. Use the back of a spoon to spread the drops of dough into one thin layer covering berries.
- Mix together the 1 ¼ cups of sugar and the 1 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch and sprinkle over the biscuit mixture.
- Boil the water in the microwave or over the stove and pour water over the sugar as evenly as possible.
- Bake at 350 degree for 50 minutes, then after 40 minutes raise the heat to 400 and bake for another 15 to minutes to help brown the topping.
Anna says
The problem with blackberries is that they are so seedy.
Sue says
Gosh! This sounds really good! I rarely buy blackberries so when I try it I will most likely choose a different fruit. Nothing against blackberries. I don’t know why I don’t buy them more?