While staying at home during the Corona virus pandemic I decided to clean out the freezer. And to my amazement I found a package of blackberries. I figured they would taste like freezer burn even though I sealed them in. I added 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract to the berries and let them sit for about one hour. They tasted so good. So the moral of that story is don't give up on some things like frozen fruits and berries. Use your best judgement. You will know what to toss and what you can keep. 

This recipe was one my mom used to make in the summer after she gathered up my brothers and I for a day outside picking blackberries. Have you ever heard about being in the briar patch? Well you better wear long pants and sleeves to avoid getting all kinds of scrathes. Blackberry cobbler isn't my most favorite because of all the scars I have from picking. Naturally it is my husband's favorite so he was delighted when I found the berries in our freezer. 

 

 

Daily Specials from Home

Blackberry Cobbler

Recipe from Terri Geiser

Serves 8-10

 

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup whole fat buttermilkmilk
• 1 cup sugar
• 2-3 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven- 350 degrees. As you are preheating the oven place the butter into a 8 or 9 inch square baking dish and put into preheating oven.

As soon as the butter melts remove from the oven.

In a medium bowl mix together flour and milk. Add the sugar and stir to combine.

 

Pour batter into the butter and top with the fruit. Pour any remaining juice from berries over the fruit. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

 

Bake until crust turns golden brown on top about 45 minutes.

 

Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or your favorite Greek yogurt.

Terri’s Tips:

If you don’t have self-rising flour use plain all-purpose flour. Add 2 teaspoons baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Any milk will work when making a cobbler. The point is don’t rush back to the store. It won’t make a noticeable difference whether you use whole or low-fat milk. In fact if you don't have butter milk you can make it by mixing 1 cup whole milk, 2% or heavy cream with the juice of one lemon or 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar. Allow the milk to set at room temperature for about 10 minutes. 

If you’re worried about the amount of sugar in this recipe you can decrease the amount by about ¼ of cup. You won’t get the same crunchy crust on top but it is still good. I don’t like really sweet desserts anyway so it works great for me. And remember the size of your portion plays into the amount of sugar. If the recipe feeds 8-10, that is 1/8 to 1/10 of a cup of sugar/person.

Don’t add more sugar but take 2 tablespoons out of the cup of sugar and mix with the cinnamon to sprinkle on top either before baking or after.

Make it your own:

For example:

Use any fruit that suits your fancy. Naturally the southern tradition is apple. But there is peach (my favorite), strawberry, and a mixture of berries like black, blue and raspberry.