The Cobbler Queen

The Cobbler Queen is not me, make no mistake of that.  But I do happen to be related to her. 

Yesterday, while doing my weekly grocery shopping, I stumbled upon a product that stopped the daughter of the Cobbler Queen in her tracks.  It was a package of pre-made cobbler mix.  Just add fruit and milk!  What is the world coming to?  Is it so hard to make a cobbler that we must pre-package the stuff?  But not everyone can be the daughter of the Cobbler Queen.

I think of my mom as the Cobbler Queen because of a series of events that occured one Fourth of July holiday in Sun, Louisiana.  My entire family was spending the holiday weekend in a small town near Bogalousa, Louisiana, near the Mississippi state line.  We have family property there and would spend most holidays together in the house that my great-grandfather built. 

My husband and I arrived after the blueberry picking had already commenced.  In fact, we learned that my mother had already made a cobbler or two from the fresh blueberries and that there were plenty of blueberries left to be picked.  My great aunt Janella's blueberry bushes are more like trees, and the blueberries hang like clusters of grapes.  We picked all we wanted, storing up plenty to go in our freezer back in Texarkana. 

Over the course of the long weekend, my mother made cobbler after cobbler for dessert.  At one point, we ran out flour, sugar, or some other cobbler-making staple.  We thought all future cobblers would have to wait until someone made a trip into Bogalousa or Covington, but alas, we were saved.  My mom found a package of cake mix hanging out in the pantry, and she could even whip up a cobbler out of this find.  That's when I discovered that my mom can truly make something out of nothing.  I've seen her do it countless times since, where she takes an empty pantry and makes a wonderful dinner.  I would panic.  I may possess a master's degree, but don't ask me to deviate from a recipe.  I'm not a true cook.  True cooks and bakers can always whip something up.  I firmly believe that the only reason I can cook is because I can read and follow instructions.  But don't ask me to be creative. 

Since some of you may be tempted to purchase pre-made cobbler mix, I decided I'd share basic cobber recipes with you.  My generation of women does not cook from scratch, so you'll be amazed at how simple these scratch recipes are. 

Some recipes for cobbler are incredibly complex, such as The Pioneer Woman's Blackberry Cobbler #2.  Her Blackberry Cobbler #1 is very simple, Gabby style.  Personally, I prefer to make a simple cobbler.  If it has more than about 5 ingredients, I stay away from it.  I want my cobbler to be at my finger tips at a moment's notice, so that if I should have drop-in guests, I can have a cobbler out of the oven within an hour.  Should you have a complex recipe that you love, consider saving it just for special events when you have more time.  I personally don't want to find out mid-recipe that my baking powder has expired and won't rise.  As I mentioned before, I can't deviate from the recipe, so I'd be at a loss to try and save it.

For all of the following recipes, you pour your fruit on the bottom of the pan first.  I prefer a glass pan to save on clean up effort.  Top your fruit with the batter you choose.  Bake in an oven at 350 for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until it looks golden brown on the edges and bubbly.  Top with vanilla ice cream if desired.

Basic Cobbler Recipe:  Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa
1 cup of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of milk
Add vanilla for extra flavor. 

Basic Cobbler, adapted:  The first time I made my mom's cobbler, I was incredibly confused.  Why didn't mine taste the same?  My mom forgot to tell me that she frequently substitutes ingredients for extra flavor and oomph.  You can sub out some or all of the ingredients, depending on your preferences or what you have on hand.  This is now my basic cobbler.

1 cup of flour = Substitute Bisquick
1 cup of sugar = still sugar!
1 cup of milk = Substitute evaporated milk
Add vanilla for extra flavor.

Basic Dry Cobbler:  The previous recipes are for a liquid batter that will pour.  Many people prefer a dry batter that leaves little crunchy, buttery blobs on top.  It really tastes amazing, especially on top of blueberries or blackberries.

1 cup of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 stick of butter

Mix with a pastry blender (handheld) or just mix in a stand up mixer, if you have one.  My KitchenAid creates a perfect pastry blend, but if I'm not paying attention, it'll mix it up too much and I'll be left with one solid mass of flour, sugar, and butter.  The end result should be little crumblies that you pour on top of the fruit.

I should mention that I really do believe the vanilla makes a world of a difference, and my favorite is real, authentic vanilla.  I love my Honduran vanilla, which I brought back from a mission trip several years ago.  Technically, it should be expired, but it still tastes wonderfully, and is so much better than anything at the grocery store.  Mexican vanilla would also be fabulous.

I prefer a liquid batter for cherry or peach cobbler (use cherry pie filling, canned peaches).  We like the dry batter on top of blueberry or blackberry cobbler (use frozen or fresh berries).  I've even had success with a combo batter.  I made a large batch of blackberry cobbler and topped it with the liquid batter.  I then realized that we prefer the dry batter, so I made another batch of the dry batter to go on top of the liquid.  The result was cobbler perfection, and the little crispy bites distracted us from the seeds in the blackberries. 

Happy cobbler making!