This old-fashioned blackberry cobbler recipe makes easy summer desserts after you go summer blackberry picking or you can make this fruit dessert recipe all year using frozen blackberries.
The Best Blackberry Cobbler Recipe You’ll Ever Make!
Fresh blackberry cobbler desserts are like summer treats for the soul! If you can, make this easy recipe with plump, juicy, fresh blackberries for a sweet and tart cobbler recipe, but it works with frozen blackberries, too.
Easy Blackberry Cobbler Recipe Ingredients
- Blackberries (fresh blackberries or frozen blackberries)
- Butter
- Flour
- Sugar
- Milk
- Vanilla bean ice cream (or your favorite good quality vanilla ice cream)
Yep! That’s really it!
RECIPE NOTE: Free printable recipes card below.
We are fortunate enough to have a fabulous U-pick blackberry farm where we live and it’s one of our favorite things to do. We look forward to it every summer!
We get up early on a weekend, go have breakfast at a favorite local breakfast place, and then head out to pick blackberries in the early morning before the summer heat and humidity click in.
(Plus, it’s just a peaceful time on a farm!)
They have these huge juicy blackberries as big your hand and we pick buckets full of berries to bake with, make blackberry jam, blackberry syrup, and to freeze blackberries to have fresh berry desserts all year.
If you have the chance to get fresh blackberries, definitely use them for this recipe.
However, you can use frozen blackberries for cobblers. Just be sure to see my tip for using frozen berries (with the printable recipe card below).
Preparing Blackberries For Eating, Freezing, And Cooking
Ok, I have some news:
If you’re new to picking fresh blackberries, you’ll need to soak your blackberries first (and you’re probably not going to like the reason).
Why do you soak blackberries in vinegar?
Blackberries naturally have worms, bugs, and insects in them (and you may not even be able to see them).
And, in all honesty, if you’ve eaten fresh blackberries (especially if you’ve eaten them straight off the bush like I used to when I picked blackberries with my grandma) then you’ve definitely eaten some bugs and worms.
(Sorry.)
(It’s OK. It doesn’t hurt you. My dad used to say it’s just a little more protein.)
(Gross. I know.)
Anyway, many people soak blackberries in a water-vinegar solution to remove the bugs and worms and to clean them before eating, freezing the berries, or baking desserts.
However, the best way to soak blackberries is with a saline solution.
How long should blackberries be soaked for?
To make sure blackberries are clean, I place them in a large bowl and cover with water. (Sometimes I’ll add a little vinegar to this step.)
Gently, swirl the blackberries with your hands in the water.
You’ll start to see stems, and leaves, and dirt, and maybe bugs or little worms float to the top.
Scoop those off, dispose of them, and then drain the water. Add fresh water and repeat the process.
Then, I place the blackberries back into a large, clean bowl, add water to just cover, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt (maybe a little more for really large batches) over the top and let the berries soak in the salt water for a few hours or overnight.
After, drain again and then gently rinse the saline solution off with fresh, clean water.
Let the blackberries drain and dry in a colander before using them. (Or, gently pat them dry with a paper towel.)
Sweet, Tart, And Totally Tempting Fruit Cobbler
How To Make Homemade Blackberry Cobbler That Tastes Like A Southern Grandma’s Recipe
Although I didn’t have my grandma’s exact southern recipe, this is as close as I could get to the vintage recipe that tastes just like my grandma’s blackberry cobbler.
TIP: Start with a cup of milk and hand mix and then add in more. I usually end up using the full two cups.
Whatever you do, DO NOT skip the ice cream topping step! Serving the cobbler warm with a scoop of the best vanilla ice cream is beyond yummy! The ice cream starts to melt and creates this creamy blackberry syrup that is so good with this fruit cobbler.
RECIPE TIP: There are more recipe tips after this printable recipe card.
Easy Blackberry Cobbler Recipe
Equipment
- 9x13 inch baking pan or cobbler pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, melted (plus extra for pan)
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 2 cups milk
- 3 1/2 cups fresh cleaned and dried blackberries or frozen blackberries
- Vanilla bean ice cream, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (175° C).
- Grease bottom and sides of cobbler pan with butter until covered. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour and sugar.
- Add milk to flour/sugar mixture and hand stir. Add in melted butter and hand stir until combined. (Mixture may be a little lumpy.)
- Pour flour mixture evenly into prepared cobbler pan.
- Place a single layer of blackberries throughout the top, pressing down slightly. (They'll sink more into the dough as it bakes.) I like more blackberries than breading, but if you want more of the cobbler "crust" you can use less blackberries than listed here.
- OPTIONAL: If you like a sweeter cobbler, you can sprinkle a layer of sugar across the top before baking. I like a more tart fruit cobbler, so I sometimes skip this step. (See note below about a sweeter cobbler.)
- Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown on top.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Blackberry Cobbler Recipes FAQ
What’s the difference between a blackberry crumble and a cobbler?
Fruit cobblers (like blackberry cobbler) have a more dense, cake-like or biscuit topping, while a crumble has a lighter, crispier streusel topping.
Are blackberries just unripe raspberries?
No, blackberries are not just unripe raspberries. They are different fruits altogether, each with their own unique characteristics.
While they may look similar, blackberries are larger, darker, and have a firm core after they ripen.
Raspberries are smaller, lighter, and have a more hollow center when you look inside it after they are picked.
I think the confusion comes in because blackberries start out as a reddish color before they turn ripe and dark.
(You can see an example in the picture above with my hand. There’s a blackberry that’s half red and half black!)
How do you get seeds out of blackberries for cobbler?
If you want to make seedless blackberry cobbler (and completely remove blackberry seeds), it will be a little different texture than regular cobbler with blackberries.
You will need to squish (technical term) through a mesh sieve like this. You will then have a blackberry mash (?for lack of better term).
This may make your blackberry cobbler runny, so you may want to add a tablespoon of cornstarch to your mixture.
I’ve never made it this way, but my husband and I do have an ongoing argument about blackberry seeds in jams and dessert recipes (I love them) and seedless blackberry desserts and jams (which is how he likes them).
TRY THIS FRUIT DESSERT NEXT: EASY CHERRY CRUMBLE RECIPE
I hope you enjoy this easy homemade blackberry cobbler recipe!
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