Triple Berry Cobbler

Berry Picking!

After getting home late from a six hour road trip on Friday with my mom, we got up at 5:30 the next morning to make our annual trek out to the blueberry fields.  We’ve gone every summer since I can remember and always go out to breakfast at a nearby diner afterwards.  It used to be my grandma and my mom and I, but my grandma has been unable to join us these last few years since it’s difficult for her to walk a long ways on the uneven ground.

The berries were absolutely ginormous this year.  Some of the blueberries were the size of a nickel!  My mom and I picked two buckets of blueberries, and nearly ten pounds of raspberries and marionberries combined.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with marionberries, they’re a berry native to Oregon, specifically Marion County where they were developed.  They’re a hybrid of two different types of blackberries and have a deliciously complex flavor that’s very difficult to describe.  Its flavor has earned it the nickname, “The Cabernet of Blackberries”.

The Cobbler

One of my favorite desserts to order at restaurants is berry cobbler.  However, my parents always say that they’ve never tasted one that could rival a variation they had years ago.  So they charged me with generating a berry cobbler recipe to compete with the one they were so fond of.

My favorite cobblers in the past have always come in individual ramekins with a sweet crust and a big melty scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.  For my version, I decided to use the three berry types we picked Saturday morning and top it with a shortbread crust.

For this cobbler, I opted against using refined sugar in the berry mixture.  I don’t think these berries need any help in that department.  They’re sweet enough in their own right.  And if I’m being perfectly honest, I’ve been feeling a little sugared-out lately.  So instead, I used raw honey (other honey works perfectly well too).

I hope you and your loved ones have a happy Fourth of July!  Keep on the lookout for my favorite blueberry pie recipe in honor of America’s birthday.  I’m hoping to post the recipe soon!

Blessings on your home and table,                                                                                                                  ~Natalie

Triple Berry Cobbler

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups of mixed berries (I used blueberries, raspberries, and marionberries*)
• 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons honey

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat the first four ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl until mixture turns into pea-sized bits.  Gather dough together into a ball and flatten into a disk.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
4. Pour berry mixture into four individual-sized ramekins.  Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes.
5. While your ramekins are in the oven, remove the shortbread dough from the fridge.  Cut four circles a little larger than the size of the ramekins (I like to use a biscuit cutter for this step).  After the ramekins have cooled for a little bit, carefully place a shortbread circle on top of each ramekin, pinching the dough on top of the ramekin’s edge.
6. Bake another 20 minutes.  Let cool slightly before serving.  Enjoy with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

 

*you can substitute blackberries for these

 

For more cobblers and crisps, check out my strawberry rhubarb crumble!