Fruit desserts are always a treat in the summer! Some of our favorites include peach cobbler, strawberry crisp, apple crisp, pear crisp, fresh strawberry pie, key lime cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake, lemon blueberry cake, strawberry shortcake cake and of course this new Berry Cobbler recipe.
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BERRY COBBLER RECIPE
This Mixed Berry Cobbler is one of the easiest, tastiest spring and summer desserts of all time. It delivers all of the warm satisfying comforting flavors you love about berry pie PLUS a satisfying, buttery soft-crunchy biscuit topping – but without all the work! This recipe is simple enough to throw together on a random weeknight but glorious enough to serve for Easter or Sunday dinner. Little ones will love it, adults will love it, and YOU will love how easy it is! So, if you’re If you’re planning on serving this Berry Cobbler anytime soon, make sure everyone has saved plenty of room for dessert, it’s worth the wait.
BERRY COBBLER INGREDIENTS
This Berry Cobbler is simply irresistible with its sweet, jammy, fruit filling, super soft biscuit topping with a crescendo of buttery crunch. And the best part? This dessert magic can be whipped together any time with pantry friendly ingredients – no planning required! Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll need to make this recipe (full recipe measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):
Cobbler: Topped with a biscuit or cake-like topping made of dough dropped directly onto the fruit to create a “cobbled” effect. The topping is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Crisp: Topped with an oat streusel topping typically made with flour, sugar, oats, melted butter and sometimes nuts. The oats crisp up during baking making the topping truly crispy. Crumble: Topped with an oat-less crumb topping. The butter is cut into the flour and sugar until it’s sandy/pebbly to create a streusel before being sprinkled over the fruit before baking. The lack of oats means the crumble streusel bakes up less crispy, denser and cakier.
FOR THE BERRY FILLING:
Berries: You will need 2 pounds, about 10 cups, of berries for this recipe. I recommend a mixture of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. Frozen berries are also delicious and an affordable, pantry friendly option but may produce a runnier filling so consider increasing the cornstarch to 3 tablespoons. Cornstarch: Berries release a lot of moisture when baked so we need a thickening agent to prevent the filling from becoming watery. Cornstarch blends seamlessly with the mixed berry juices so you aren’t left with a gummy filling or raw flour, but instead, a sweet, self-basting sauce that’s the perfect syrupy consistency without becoming gummy. Lemon juice and zest: The slight acidity helps balance the sweetness and brings the clean, berry flavor forward. Sugar: Use granulated sugar to enhance the natural sweetness of the mixed berries. Vanilla extract: Adds an extra oomph of flavor. Use quality extract for the best flavor. Spices: Even Berry Cobbler should be seasoned! Cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt enhance the flavors and balance out the sweetness. Use more or less to taste.
WHAT berries are best FOR THIS RECIPE?
I recommend a mixture of fresh berries for this recipe. The more berry varieties, the deeper, more complex the berry flavor. I typically like to use ⅓ blueberries and divide the rest between blackberries, strawberries and raspberries, but any ratio of mixed berries will be delicious. Select ripe berries for the sweetest, deepest flavor. Unripe berries won’t be as juicy, flavorful or sweet. The strawberries should be ripe but not soft. If the strawberries are soft, they will bake up that much softer and create a runnier filling.
THE COBBLER TOPPING:
Flour: Please use all -purpose flour or gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flour. Baking powder: The baking powder leavens the topping, giving it volume and a light, fluffy texture. Make sure your baking powder is fresh so it works! Sugar: The granulated sugar promotes a soft and tender topping by absorbing some of the liquid and slowing down the formation of gluten strands. It also promotes caramelization for a more golden crust. Butter: The butter helps bind the ingredients together and adds buttery goodness. Cube your butter then chill it so it’s nice and cold. Use unsalted butter so we can control the salt. If you only have salted butter, reduce the salt in the topping to ¼ teaspoon. Buttermilk: Is a secret ingredient that adds flavor and creates more tender and moist topping. You can also substitute with sour milk which I do all the time by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup, adding milk until it reaches 1 cup, giving it a stir, and letting it rest for 10 minutes. Salt: Is an important addition for flavor, but equally important, it allows the gluten to hold more carbon dioxide, allowing the dough to expand and stretch without tearing and achieve a fluffier biscuit topping. Cinnamon and sugar: I use raw sugar/coarse sugar because it has larger, coarser granules and a hint of molasses for superior crunch, sparkle and flavor, but you may substitute with granulated sugar.
HOW TO MAKE BERRY COBBLER
Homemade Berry Cobbler is a beloved dessert not only because it’s DELICOUS, but because it’s so easy to whip up! Let’s take a closer look at how to make it (full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):
STEP 1: make the filling
Grease a 9×13-inch pan with softened butter. You can use cooking spray but butter is well, buttery! Add the berries, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and stir to combine. Next, stir in sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, then spread filling into an even layer.
STEP 2: MAKE THE TOPPING
I HIGHLY recommend using a food processor to make the biscuit topping. It eliminates all the elbow grease and allows you to make the topping in minutes with a couple pulses. First, pulse (or whisk) together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the cubed, cold butter and pulse several times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs (the largest piece of butter should be no larger than pea-size). If not using a food processor, cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and pulse a few times to moisten (don’t overmix). If not using a food processor, make a well in the center of the mixture and add the buttermilk to the center. Fold together with a spatula until it begins to come together but don’t overwork the dough.
STEP 3: ADD THE TOPPING
There isn’t really a precise method here. You can use larger tablespoon-size sections of dough, slightly flatten then place on top of the filling (as seen in the video) or drop the dough by grape size spoonfuls all over the topping (as seen in the photos). Both methods work, but I think the grape-size dropped balls bake up fluffier. If you have extra dough after you have added the topping, double it up in some of the thinner areas until all of it is used. Lastly, brush the top of the biscuits with some buttermilk to promote extra browning, then sprinkle with coarse sugar and ground cinnamon for extra crunch and flavor. The buttermilk is optional, but I wouldn’t skip the sugar and cinnamon.
STEP 4: BAKE
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes, or until the filling is thick and bubbling and the topping is golden and cooked through.
STEP 5: SERVE
Let the Berry Cobbler stand for 10 minutes before serving. This will give the syrupy berries a chance to thicken a little more as the cobbler cools. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!
CAN YOU MAKE BERRY COBBLER AHEAD OF TIME?
I do not recommend make this Mixed Berry Cobbler recipe ahead of time. If you combine the berries with sugar they will start to macerate and the filling will be runny. The topping should also be baked as soon as it’s made or it won’t rise as much. You can, however, chop the strawberries, and juice and zest the lemon.
BERRY COBBLER RECIPE VARIATIONS:
My favorite easy Berry Cobbler is this classic recipe – but that doesn’t mean you can’t mix it up! Here are some recipe variation ideas:
Individual Cobblers: You can use the same ingredient measurements to make individual berry cobblers. Divide the filling in oven safe ramekins followed by the topping. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until the filling is bubbling and the biscuit topping is baked through. Blackberry cobbler: Use all blackberries. Blueberry Cobbler: Use all blueberries. Strawberry Cobbler: Use all strawberries. Make sure they are ripe but firm otherwise the filling will be runny instead of jammy. Raspberry Cobbler: Use all raspberries. Add stone fruit: You can add, mix and match peaches and nectarines or I’ve even used peacharines! If you’re looking for peach cobbler, however, use this recipe instead. Add coconut: Add sweetened coconut to the filling. Add nuts. Add chopped pecans or walnuts to the berry filling. Swap topping: Turn the Berry Cobbler into a Crisp by using an oat streusel topping. Follow the instructions for my Strawberry Crisp topping. Make gluten-free Berry Cobbler: Swap the flour in the topping with gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour like Bob Red’s Mill. All the rest of the ingredients are gluten free.
How to Serve Berry Cobbler
The BEST Berry Cobbler recipe is served warm, fresh from the oven. It becomes exponentially more delicious with a big, cold scoop of vanilla ice cream. The cold, silky smooth ice cream mingled with the warm, sweet, filling and buttery soft, crunchy topping is heavenly! Like my husband noted, “the vanilla ice cream changes it entirely.” You can also top with extra berries, whipped cream or berry syrup – but honestly this Berry Cobbler doesn’t need it!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH mixed BERRY COBBLER?
This easy Berry Cobbler is a favorite spring and summer-time dessert so naturally, it pairs well with any of your favorite cookout foods such as Best Burgers, Steak Kabobs, Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs, Grilled Flank Steak, Grilled Sirloin Steak, Chili Lime Grilled Salmon and Grilled Lemon Butter Shrimp.
How long is Mixed Berry Cobbler good for?
Berry Cobblers is the very best fresh from the oven because the topping is the crunchiest. You can certainly enjoy leftovers, but the topping will start to soften. Refrigerated cobbler is good for up to 4 days.
HOW TO STORE berry cobbler
Let the dessert cool completely at room temperature. Once cool, cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate or transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerated for up to 4 days.
HOW TO REHEAT BERRY COBBLER
Microwave: The microwave is convenient for smaller portions but the topping won’t get as crispy as the oven – just full disclosure – but still delish. To microwave, transfer a portion to a microwave safe plate. Microwave for 30 second intervals until warmed through. Oven: Reheat the baking dish at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until heated though. You can also transfer smaller portions to a smaller baking dish or cast-iron skillet to reheat.
CAN YOU FREEZE BERRY COBBLER?
Yes! Baked Berry Cobbler freezes well but the topping does become softer and chewier and loses some of its crispiness – still totally delicious – just more cake-like. I do not recommend freezing unbaked cobbler. You can also freeze fresh berries when they’re in season and use them in homemade Berry Cobbler year-round.
HOW TO FREEZE mixed BERRY COBBLER:
Let the baked cobbler cool completely Wrap the freezer-safe casserole dish with two layers of plastic wrap followed by two layers of foil. Freeze for up to 6 months. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until heated through.
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