Blueberry Cobbler: A Return to Grandma's Kitchen

Blue rivulets swirl over the biscuit and ice cream in this Blueberry Cobbler, forming sweet tartness in every spoonful.

It’s nearly blueberry season in the Ozarks and I’ve fallen in love with cobblers again. The recipe below gets kudos online and I know why. It’s sooooo easy to make and brims with memories. Recipes for this American classic can be found in cookbooks from the Junior League to Chez Panisse. Nearly every household has an old, family favorite. Even so, I gave this recipe a try and was glad I did.

Chez Panisse Blueberry Cobbler: A Blue Ribbon Winner!

This Chez Panisse recipe was recently listed among The New York Times‘ most popular summer recipes. Though the sugar has been tamped down compared to some older versions, the berries keep the fruity flavor alive. Online readers suggested including a bit of lemon zest—-an easy addition, that made for even more zing.

This retro recipe for Blueberry Cobbler is guaranteed to bring smiles to any table.

The round-shaped cakes of dough, that sit atop the berries were easy to assemble. I was surprised to see that the biscuit topping called for a small amount of whipping cream for the liquid rather than water. Good idea! The addition definitely amped up the taste and texture.

Make this superb cobbler with peaches or a combo of peaches and berries. It also works with a mixture of raspberries and blackberries.

Blueberry Cobbler fresh from the oven. Spoon a mound into a bowl, add ice cream, and dig in. On the first bite, you’ll be transported back to Grandma’s kitchen.

Blueberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

THE BERRIES:

4 ½ cups fresh blueberries
⅓ cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

THE DOUGH:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
¾ cup heavy cream, plus additional for serving, if desired

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To prepare berries, place in a bowl and toss with sugar and flour. (And a bit of lemon zest, if desired.) Set aside.
To make dough, mix flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cream and mix lightly, just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Put blueberries in a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Make patties out of the dough, 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. Arrange them over the top of the berries. Bake until topping is brown and juices bubble thickly around it, about 35 to 40 minutes.