Ree's Blackberry Cobbler

I often get flustered when I bake things, with the exception of muffins and breads.  Cooking allows for a pinch of this and a pinch of that and leaves room for a few errors here and there.  Baking, on the other hand, with the flour exploding into the air and onto your clothes, the demand for EXACT measurements, and my inability to stop at just one cookie or piece of cake after the creation has come out of the oven, makes baking just not really my thing.

This blackberry cobbler, created by the radiant Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman), offers warm rays of sunshiney hope into my jaded baking mind.  Even though it does require exact measurements, the measurements are simple.  You do not see 10 different fractions in this recipe – just the number ONE, times 4.  (And, some blackberries).  That’s it!

Ree’s Blackberry Cobbler
Recipe:  Ree Drummond, www.thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup white sugar (plus a little for dusting the top)
1 cup whole milk (2% would work but avoid the non-fat for this one)
2 cups blackberries (frozen or fresh), rinsed

The Process:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Pour the 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of sugar into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the milk in so that everyone becomes friends.  Then, pour in your melted butter, and stir everything together again.  This is your batter.  It is divinely simple, effortlessly easy, and PERFECT when it bakes. 

Next, rinse and pat dry your blackberries.  Butter a baking dish.  I used a 12” round Fiesta dish (Have I mentioned how much I love Fiesta dining ware?  It is bold, bright, and durable; I am in love with all things Fiesta ware.) 

Pour the dreamy batter into the dish.  Sprinkle the blackberries like little drops of heaven into the batter evenly.  Add a dusting of white sugar to the top of the batter and blackberries.   This will help the cobbler caramelize in the oven.

Bake the cobbler for about 1 hour in the preheated 350 degree oven until the top is nice and golden brown, the berries have burst just the tiniest bit, and the batter has turned into the most delightful, warm, slightly chewy/slightly crispy goodness you have ever tasted. 

~before baking~

~after baking~

Who knew decadent, delicious baking could be so beautiful and simple? 

You can definitely substitute raspberries or strawberries for this cobbler.  I think I will try strawberries next time and top it with fresh whipped cream.  Using strawberries reminds me of the "Strawberry Sour Cream Pie and the 4th of July" post from this past summer (look under Sweet Treats!)

We topped our blackberry cobbler with blackberry ice cream because I happened to stumble upon it in the grocery store one day.  They were a match made in bakery heaven.  Hubby typically does not like warm fruit desserts, and he ate this for 3 consecutive nights for dessert.  It's universally delicious. 

Bon Appétit, and big hugs to the Pioneer Woman for this one!