Grandma Elsie’s Blackberry Cobbler

Grandma.Elsies.Blackberry.cobblerI am named after my My grandma Elsie (my mama’s mama). We share the same middle name–Frances. Grandma Elsie was famous for making anything with the abundance of blackberries that grew on their property in southern Indiana.

My mother remembers canning oodles of quarts each summer of the luscious fruit. I’m told Grandma Elsie’s five kids especially loved her blackberry cobbler. They’d picked buckets full of the sweet berries on their family farm each year.

Why not grab your own sweet family, or a few friends, and go blackberry picking? Or purchase some at a Farmer’s Market or even snag a bag of frozen ones to make this mouth-watering, end-of-summer treat. While I wish I had her original recipe, this one is our family’s favorite version and so I named it as a tribute to my namesake.

Grandma Elsie’s Blackberry Cobbler

Filling

8 c.          fresh blackberries (or frozen, thawed and drained)

1½ c.        sugar

1/3 c.          all-purpose flour

Batter

2 c.          all-purpose flour

1 c.          sugar

1 Tbs.      baking powder

1 tsp.       salt

1½ c.        whole milk

½ c.          butter, melted

Topping

1 c.          heavy cream

2–3 Tbs.  sugar

½ tsp.       vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly toss filling ingredients together and place in a buttered 9 x 13 pan. Mix batter ingredients until smooth and dollop over the berries, making sure there is batter all around the edges to prevent berries from boiling over. Bake on center rack in the oven for 60–75 minutes, until berries are bubbling and crust is no longer doughy.

Whip cream with sugar and vanilla and serve on top of warm cobbler. Old-fashioned flavor!

4 Comments

  1. I should know the answer to this but… When I “lightly toss filling ingredients together”, do I discard the remaining filling or pour it all in with the berries? Thanks for your help

  2. Hi Karen,

    Thanks for the recipe. It sounds delicious. Blackberries are my daughter’s favorite fruit. If using frozen fruit do we defrost it first? Thanks and happy weekend!

    1. Janet– Yes. That is what I mean by “frozen & drained”. Maybe I will edit it to say “frozen, thawed & drained” to make it clearer. Thanks for your comment & happy cobbler-making!

  3. My Pastor’s wife makes the best blackberry pie ever! It is my absolute favorite. I’m not a fan, however, of making the pie crusts. Cobblers are so much easier. I just posted a recipe for peach cobbler with blueberries. I bet it would be delicious with black berries, too. Thanks for the recipe!

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