Blackberry Pie / Cobbler

Fourth of July in Arkansas means sweet corn, watermelon, and blackberries.  We have great fruit farms here in NW Arkansas and I have been to the blueberry farm this summer. However, we have blackberries growing wild here and so I have a hard time paying $3 or $4 a pint for something I can get for free. A couple of months ago I started keeping my eye out for blooming blackberry bushes as I ran and biked around the trails in our area. This last week I went for my first picking. I am not going to say exactly where because I plan to go back for more. And because I already have someone scoping the same bushes as they didn't have as many as I was expecting and the grass around was trampled down. I am hoping that person got as many as they wanted so that I can get enough to put in the freezer. I only got enough this time for one pie, but it was a good pie. Also, I can't really complain, because they were free!

Wild blackberries are much smaller and quite a bit more tart than cultivated ones. No worries... just a little more Splenda will do the trick. This recipe is a  No Sugar Added  recipe as the blackberries do have natural sugars.

This recipe is for a small pie/cobbler. Now we have had the discussion before about the difference between pie and cobbler. If you want to revisit that discussion you can read it here.

4 cups blackberries
1 cup Splenda
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Cinnamon and nutmeg may seem a strange addition to blackberries, but I add them to any of my fruit pies and cobbler. If it is not your favorite, you can certainly leave it out.

 

Since I was only making a small pie, I only made a single recipe of pie crust. I used about 2/3 on the bottom and 1/3 on the top.

1 1/4 cups of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of vegetable shortening
3-4 tablespoons water

Add the flour and salt to a bowl.  Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter or a fork. Add water and stir with a fork to incorporate flour into dough. You may need to work it with your hands at the end.

 Use about 2/3 of dough for the bottom crust. Put a little flour on your counter or board. Roll the dough out fairly thin. Think about the shape of your dish to determine the shape of your dough. Since I was going the cobbler route, I left the edges rustic not worrying about finished edges.

After lining your dish with the dough add in the fruit mixture. Add in three or four pats of butter. Roll out the last part of the dough to top your cobbler. No need for it to reach the edges. You really want some of the fruit peaking out.  Don't forget to cut a few slits in the top crust to allow the steam to escape. I also usually sprinkle the top with just a little more Splenda to make the top sparkle.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Just watch for the crust to begin to turn golden brown.  I don't know about you bit I want to eat my cobbler warm...

... and a little ice cream can only make it better. To keep your sugar down, don't forget to use a no sugar added variety or a low-fat or no sugar frozen yogurt.

Well, that didn't last long, so I will be off in a couple of days to check the bushes again... just hope I beat that other person this time.

Peach Cobbler

I have to admit that one of the main reasons why I go to the trouble of freezing peaches in the summer is so that I can enjoy wonderful, warm peach cobbler in the winter.  So I know that technically it isn't winter yet, but it has been cold here and this weekend just felt like I needed a decadent dessert.

Now we could have a debate here about exactly what cobbler is... I know that are several definitions, but I'll just be real honest here:  I am from Oklahoma and a cobbler is basically a pie in a square or rectangular dish.  End of my discussion... ya'll can discuss further if you want to.

First you start with a pie crust, you will need one for the bottom and one for the top.  This will make enough for an 8 x 8 dish.  If you want to double this recipe as far as the fruit is concerned and make one in a 9 x 13 pan, you can make 3 pie crusts and use 1 1/2 for the bottom and 1 1/2 for the top.




For one crust:
*1 1/4 c. flour
*3 T. Shortening
*1/2 t. salt
*3-4 T. cold water

Use a pastry blender or a fork and work the shortening into the flour and salt.  Add 3 T. water and mix together with a fork, incorporating all of the flour.  If needed, add the additional T. of water.  Empty out onto your counter or board dusted with a little flour.  Roll out just as you would for a pie, but don't worry too much about the shape.  A cobbler is supposed to be rustic, and remember this is going into a square dish.

For this size you are going to use:

4 c. fruit  (thawed and drained, if you are using frozen)
3/4 c. Splenda
1/3 c. flour
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg

Now I will be the first to admit that I used to be a purist and if I was making a peach cobbler, it was going to be peach... period.  But lately I guess my taste buds have gotten more sophisticated, or maybe just more open-minded.  I still had some blueberries in my freezer from this summer, so I decided to add a few to my peaches.  Mix together to coat the fruit.

 Pour the fruit into the cobbler dish.  Dab a few dots of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter on the top of the fruit.  Roll out your other crust.  Again, don't worry too much about the shape, but you may want to trim it so that it doesn't hang over the edge too much.  You don't want to have super thick crust along the edges.

Cut some slits into the top of your crust to let the steam escape and sprinkle with a little Splenda just to make it sparkle.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  You will just want to make sure that the crust begins to turn golden and becomes flaky.  If you decide to make a bigger one, it will probably take a little closer to an hour.
Now I don't know about you, but there is not much better than a warm cobbler, served with some vanilla ice cream!  If you haven't tried Blue Bunny's No Sugar Added ice cream, you should give it a try.

One of the things I remember from my childhood, is that when my mom made pie or cobbler, we got cinnamon crisps!
So when you trim off your top crust, give these a try just for a little snack.

Spray a cookie sheet and place your pieces of extra dough on the sheet.  Using a knife, spread a little I Can't Believe It's Not Butter on each piece.  Mix a quarter cup of Splenda with a teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle the tops with the mixture.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.  Careful... they are hot when they come out of the oven!