If it seems like all I’ve really been making lately is dessert, that’s because that actually is the case. The rotation I am on right now causes me to get home way too late to cook much in the way of real meals, so Ben has taken over as temporary chef making simple fare with clear instructions from me :-). This past weekend my family got together for a cookout and I wanted to make something delicious for dessert. Unfortunately, my dad has the least equipped kitchen ever and my options were limited. I decided on this cobbler because 1) Pioneer Woman is awesome, 2) it was perfect for a cookout, and 3) it requires very little in the way of kitchen equipment. Once again, Pioneer Woman did not disappoint. I even used shortening rather than subbing butter as I normally would – I have complete faith in her recipes! The blackberries were the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and the dough on top was delicious. I baked mine for closer to 26-27 minutes because it was starting to brown, so if you try this (which I highly recommend you do), you should keep an eye on it near the end of baking.
Blackberry Cobbler
Ingredients:
6 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)
½ cup plus 4 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
zest of ½ lemon
2 cups flour
¼ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. baking powder
¼ cup vegetable shortening
4 tbsp. butter
1 egg
½ cup milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°. Combine blackberries, ½ cup sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Stir gently to combine. Pour into a baking dish and set aside.
In a separate bowl, pour flour, salt, baking powder and 1 tbsp. sugar. Add shortening and butter and work mixture together with a pastry blender (or your fingers) until the mixture is coarse. Mix egg and milk together in a small bowl. Pour into the flour mixture, stirring as you go. Mixture should be smooth and not dry, but not overly sticky.
Take clumps of dough and place them on top of the blackberries. Lightly flatten dough with your fingertips. Sprinkle with 2 to 3 tbsp. of sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on the side.
Source: adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks
