Old Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my blackberry cobbler runny? ›

We love cobblers for being juicy, but really ripe fruit can make more puddles than a spring rain. The result is a soupy cobbler with a soggy top. Try this: Add one to two tablespoons of cornstarch to the filling.

A good cobbler should get most of its sweetness from the fruit, not the filling. You don't need to kill the dish with sugar, so avoid recipes that call for half a cup or more. If it's not quite sweet enough for your taste, you can always add a scoop of ice cream to the rest.

Blackberry pies have crust on the bottom and top! Cobblers, on the other hand, are only topped with pie crust or sweet biscuits, or have the fruit baked right into the batter like in this recipe.

Change Up Your Thickener

Alright, this year, give cornstarch a try. While flour imparts a mild bitter flavor to the filling that doesn't always cook entirely out, corn starch is generally undetectable. Or better yet, try tapioca starch; it's flavorless and incorporates into various fruits' juices extremely well.

Cooking off the liquid is a great first step, but to achieve a cohesive filling, adding a thickener is key. Sprinkling in some flour is standard in most recipes, but we found that it leaves a starchy taste. Instead, reach for cornstarch or tapioca.

Use your probe thermometer! According to Kitchn, when the center of your cobbler reaches 200 degrees F, it's done. Since you have a tool that ensures your cobbler is cooked through, there's one more tip that will make your cobbler experience even better. Let your cobbler rest for a bit before serving.

Baking and Serving Cobbler

Cobblers always bake up a little looser and more juicy than pie, so spoon that valuable liquid over the biscuit topping or a scoop of ice cream and keep in mind the juices will thicken as the cobbler cools.

Add milk slowly to the dry cobbler mix, you don't want your batter too runny. If the mixture is too thick you can add more milk, but you want the batter the consistency of a thick cake or brownie batter. Since this recipe is going to sit on a pantry shelf, we're using all-purpose flour.

Not cooking it long enough.

A probe thermometer inserted in the center of the cobbler should reach 200°F in the thickest part of the topping. The filling should be bubbly around the sides, and the tops of the biscuits should be more deep amber than golden.

Pies have, at a minimum, a bottom crust with the fruit placed on top, while a cobbler has the fruit on the bottom and a dolloped dough on top instead. The doughs used are also different, with a pie typically using a rolled-out pastry versus the dropped biscuit topping of a cobbler.

Can I leave a blackberry cobbler out overnight? ›

While blackberry cobbler can technically be left out for a day or so at room temperature, it's recommended to refrigerate it to prevent spoilage, especially in warm weather.

Ponca is a new release from the University of Arkansas. It is the sweetest of all the blackberry varieties and also the most forgiving. Usually when you pick a blackberry and it's not quite ready it's sour. Ponca is even sweet when it's picked before it's fully mature.

Raw, the batter will look a little sparse when dolloped on top of the peaches, but it will rise and spread out as it cooks. If you use enough batter to completely cover the fruit, you'll end up with a cobbler that's far too bready, more like an upside-down cake.

Pie Filling Enhancer thickens fruit pie fillings the same way Instant ClearJel does. Its advantage is added ascorbic acid (which adds a bright, tart note), and superfine sugar, which prevents it from clumping. Pie Filling Enhancer is about half sugar, so you'll want to reduce the sugar in your recipe accordingly.

Tapioca Flour: This is the secret ingredient that will keep your blueberry pie from being a runny mess when you cut into it. Tapicoa flour works better than flour or cornstarch because you need less, and it wont alter the color or texture of the pie filling like those will.

There are a couple culprits to runny cobbler. First, the peaches can be too ripe. Make sure to use somewhat firm and not soft peaches. If your peaches are extra ripe, add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch.

If you're making homemade fruit pie filling and it's always runny and wet, add a tablespoon or two more of cornstarch to it and cook it in the microwave for about three minutes or until it's thick, then put it in the pie shell and bake it. Should come out fine, let it completely cool before you cut and serve the pie.

Pay attention to bake times: one reason you'll often end up with a runny fruit pie is simply that it hasn't been baked long enough. Any thickener you use needs a little time to set up, and people often see their crust turning light brown and think the pie is done when it's really not.

Bake the pie fully.

If you don't leave the pie in the oven long enough your thickener doesn't get to the necessary temperature and time to thicken your filling. You want to see thick bubbling! The bubbling of the filling is activating the natural gelatin of your fruit as well as your thickeners.