Blackberry Cobbler with Pie Crust
This is a different blackberry cobbler recipe, with a lattice topping and the perfect way to use leftover pie crust. It can be frozen so you can plan ahead. I always favor pie dough from scratch, but with a purchased one, this dessert comes together quickly.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- See Notes below for alternatives.
- 1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
- 3 tablespoons shortening cold
- 1 and ½ tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Ice Water tap water with ice cubes
For the blackberry filling:
- 5 cups about 26 oz fresh blackberries (or frozen without thawing)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water for egg wash
- 2-3 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
For the flaky pie crust:
- Put ice 4 or 5 ice cubes in a measuring cup and fill with cold water.
- In a food processor put flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse to mix.
- Add cubed cold butter and shortening and pulse using on/off turns, until the butter is the size of peas or beans. It will be irregular.
- Drizzle about ⅓ cup of ice water and pulse a few times.
- Check the bottom of the bowl with a spatula so that you don't have a lump of flour that the blades didn't pick up. Check if the mixture is too dry and floury. If you take some and squeeze it in your hand it should hold its shape and not crumble apart.
- Add more water (a teaspoon at a time if needed) and pulse until it barely comes together. Check the dough again. If you take some and squeeze it in your hand, it should hold together and not crumble.
- Transfer dough to a barely floured surface and gather it together into a rather smooth ball. Don't overwork it or the dough will be tough.
- Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or up to 3 days. Or freeze it for up to a month.
For the blackberry mixture:
- Grease a 20x25cm pan.
- Put the blackberries with the sugar in a medium saucepan.
- Make the cornstarch slurry by dissolving it in the water. It should have no lumps.
- Add the lemon juice and the cornstarch mixture. Stir and cook over medium/low heat until it simmers. Then cook it for 1 more minute.
- Remove from the heat and transfer the berry mixture to the prepared baking dish, covering the bottom.
To assemble the cobbler:
- See Notes below for topping alternatives.
- Turn on the oven at 350°F (180°C).
- Roll the dough, cut strips and make a lattice over the blackberries. The strips can be narrow or thin, like I did, or wider. Don't cover the filling completely; it should have spaces allowing steam to be released and juices to bubble.
- Paint the pieces of pie crust lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with additional sugar.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until the dough is golden and the filling bubbles and thickens.
- Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream, or at room temperature.
Notes
For a quick dessert, use purchased pie crust or leftovers from other pies. If buying it, look for an all-butter dough or a good puff pastry from a bakery.
Lattice or cutouts? You can use both ways of topping this cobbler. The first one is a classic, and the latter can be adapted for different occasions (like stars for a 4th of July celebration). Use simple cookie shapes, like geometrical figures, hearts, stars or simple flowers.
Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend keeping track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
How to store this cobbler: cover leftovers in plastic wrap or in an airtight container. You can also freeze it for a month adding another layer of aluminum foil after the plastic, or using a freezer-safe container.
