Blackberry cobbler is a warm, buttery, cake-like dessert with juicy blackberries baked into a golden crust that is crisp and sugary at the edges and soft in the middle. It takes five ingredients and one bowl, and it is the dessert for summer berry season or a cozy Sunday supper with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
How to make blackberry cobbler: Whisk sugar and self-rising flour with milk, then whisk in melted butter. Pour the batter into a buttered baking dish. Scatter blackberries over the top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour, until golden and bubbly.
Why You’ll Love It
- Five ingredients. Butter, sugar, self-rising flour, milk and blackberries.
- One bowl and a whisk. No mixer and no pastry to roll.
- Fresh or frozen berries. Make it any time of year.
- It builds itself. The berries go on top and sink into the batter as it bakes.
Ingredient Notes
Butter. A 1/2 cup, which is 1 stick, melted for the batter. You also need a little more to butter the dish.
Granulated sugar. One and a quarter cups, divided: 1 cup goes into the batter and 1/4 cup is sprinkled on top.
Self-rising flour. One cup. It already has the leavening and salt in it.
Milk. One cup.
Blackberries. Two cups, fresh or frozen.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen
How to Make Blackberry Cobbler
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a baking dish. Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry.
2. Mix the batter. Melt the 1/2 cup butter. Put 1 cup of the sugar and the self-rising flour in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the milk, then whisk in the melted butter.
3. Add the berries. Pour the batter into the buttered dish. Scatter the blackberries evenly over the batter and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. The berries go on top. They sink into the batter as it bakes.
4. Bake. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour, until golden and bubbly.
Do the Blackberries Go on Top or Under the Batter?
On top. Pour the batter into the dish first, then scatter the berries over it. It looks backwards, but it works: as the cobbler bakes, the berries sink and the batter rises up around them into a golden, cake-like crust.
| Order | What goes in the dish |
|---|---|
| First | Butter the dish |
| Second | Pour in all the batter |
| Third | Scatter the blackberries evenly over the batter |
| Fourth | Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over everything |
Do not stir after the berries go on. Leave the layers alone and let the oven do the mixing.
Should frozen blackberries be thawed first?
Recipes disagree on this. For this cobbler, add frozen berries while they are still frozen. You will also see cobbler recipes that say to thaw and drain frozen berries first. Neither is a universal rule. Add them frozen here and go by the look of the finished cobbler.
What Kind of Cobbler Is This?
There are two main styles of cobbler. One has fruit on the bottom and biscuit dough dropped on top. The other, which is this one, starts with a thin pourable batter. It bakes up cake-like, soft in the middle and crisp at the edges, with the berries sitting down inside it. It is the quicker of the two, because there is no dough to cut in or roll. If you can whisk four things in a bowl, you can make it.
Tips for Success
How do I know when the cobbler is done?
The top is golden and the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges. That takes about 1 hour at 350°F.
What size baking dish should I use?
The recipe says only a baking dish. A 9-by-9-inch pan works for this style of cobbler.
What if I do not have self-rising flour?
Make your own. For 1 cup of self-rising flour, use 1 cup of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder.
Why sprinkle sugar on top?
The last 1/4 cup of sugar goes over the berries and batter right before baking, as the recipe directs. It bakes into the top.
Do I need to dry the berries?
Yes, if they are fresh. Rinse them and pat them dry before they go on the batter.
In what order do I mix the batter?
Sugar and flour go in the bowl first. Whisk in the milk until smooth, then whisk in the melted butter last. Pour it into the buttered dish as soon as it is mixed.
How Long Does It Take?
About 80 minutes: 20 minutes of prep and 1 hour in the oven. Almost all of that is baking time you do not have to watch. Mix the batter while the oven heats, slide the dish in, and set a timer. The recipe makes 8 servings, and it is at its best served warm.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftover cobbler within 2 hours, covered, and use it within 3 to 4 days. That is the careful USDA FSIS guidance for leftovers, and I would follow it over advice to leave cobbler on the counter. Baked cobbler can also be wrapped well and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With It
If cobbler is your kind of dessert, try the 4-ingredient slow cooker vintage strawberry cobbler, the pecan pie cobbler or the chocolate cobbler. For more fruit baking, there is Bea’s blueberry sheet cake, the lemon blueberry cake and the 4-ingredient slow cooker caramel apple dump cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the blackberries go on top of the batter?
Yes. The batter goes in first and the berries are scattered on top. They sink as it bakes.
Should frozen blackberries be thawed first?
For this recipe, no. Add them frozen.
What is the best recipe for blackberry cobbler?
A simple one. This batter-first cobbler uses five ingredients and bakes for 1 hour.
How many does it serve?
Eight.
Final Notes
I pour the batter, scatter the berries and keep my spoon out of the dish, because the layers sort themselves out in the oven. If you make it, leave a comment to tell me how it turned out or ask a question.
Blackberry Cobbler
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick; melted for the batter
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar divided: 1 cup for the batter and 1/4 cup for the top
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups blackberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a baking dish. Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry.
- Melt the 1/2 cup butter. Put 1 cup of the sugar and the self-rising flour in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the milk, then whisk in the melted butter.
- Pour the batter into the buttered dish. Scatter the blackberries evenly over the batter and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. The berries go on top. They sink into the batter as it bakes.
- Bake at 350°F for 1 hour, until golden and bubbly.
