Old Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This blackberry cobbler recipe makes an old-fashioned Southern Blackberry Cobbler recipe with a lattice top and pastry dumplings. Always a favorite!
I grew up having a definite love / hate relationship with blackberry cobbler.
You see, during the summer my sister and I would spend days with our grandparents while our parents worked. Our days were filled with all of the love and fun little girls could possibly pack into them – with the exception of the days when we knew we were going with Grandmother to pick blackberries.
Southern Blackberry Cobbler Recipe
My Grandparents’ land adjoined ours with our pasture in between us on one side. The other side adjoined my aunt and uncle with acres of trees in between. Along the line of the trees and just inside their canopy were Grandmother’s blackberries.
It seemed as if it took forever to reach them with our baskets swinging and dolls tucked under our arms. Grandmother would lead the way, usually humming or telling us about each plant, bird, or bug as we past it by. Finally, we were there. Outfitted in our long sleeves and thick gloves we would go about picking basket after basket of big, juicy blackberries. We knew there would be a cobbler for dessert after supper and most likely, if we picked enough, we’d get to help her make blackberry jam.
With the sun beating down on us, sweating under those gloves that were beginning to feel like they weighed twice as much as they did, and with scratches along our arms where the long blackberry thorns had worked their way through our shirt sleeves, I was ready to be done with picking blackberries. At this point I would convince myself that blackberry cobbler wasn’t that great after all.
And yet, when I caught sight of her blackberry cobbler on the sideboard during supper, I was quiet certain blackberry picking was worth it after all.
How to Make Southern Blackberry Cobbler
Here are the step-by-step photos showing exactly how she made her Blackberry Cobbler. You’ll notice when I made the step-by-step photos of her recipe (many, many years ago!), I used her cobbler pan. I made sure to snap a few photographs the other day when I made this blackberry cobbler again, this time making it in my medium skillet. This shows you that you can easily make it in either!
Start by making the dough for your cobbler crust.
Once your cobbler crust dough has been made, pop it into the freezer for a bit while you are making the filling portion of your blackberry cobbler.
I use my Mother’s cobbler pan that she gave me and that is just like the one that my Grandmother would use. It’s a simple, round stainless steel pan without handles that went with their Towncraft cookware. You can just use any medium-sized, heavy bottomed pan.
Clean your blackberries and put them in your pan over medium heat.
Pour in your sugar.
Add butter.
And a bit of water. Give it all a good stir and let it just do it’s magic.
Like this.
It should start to get thick and syrupy and absolutely scrumptious before the next step. The berries will be soft when you press them against the side with a spoon.
While your blackberry cobbler filling is cooking away, go ahead and roll out the dough for your crust.
I like to just roll mine out on the parchment paper that I wrapped it in for the freezer – there’s less mess that way.
Take one half of your dough and cut into 1/2″ wide strips. Then, cut again into about 1/2″ long pieces.
Now this is the twist in the recipe for Grandmother’s blackberry cobbler that I told you about.
Now just drop those little pieces of dough you cut up one at a time into the boiling blackberry dish.
This makes a delicious dumpling right in your blackberry cobbler that is out of this world.
Continue to cook, and stir gently until all your dough pieces have cooked in your blackberries.
Remove your blackberry cobbler pan from the heat and begin to place the second half of your dough in long strips along the top in a lattice pattern.
Place pats of butter on the strips of dough and lightly sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for about 20 minutes until the dough has lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. I highly recommend grabbing your ice cream at this point and get ready with big ole scoops! 🙂
Here’s my Grandmother’s Blackberry Cobbler recipe. I hope you love it as much as my family always does.
Southern Blackberry Cobbler
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 12 tablespoons (170 g) butter
- 1/2 cup (114 g) ice water
For the cobbler:
- 3 cups (432 g) blackberries, cleaned (about 24-ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups (297 g) sugar
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter
- 1 1/2 cups (340 g) water
Instructions
For the cobbler crust:
- Chill mixing bowl and pastry cutter in freezer for about 15 minutes prior to making crust.
- Cut the butter called for in the crust into the flour with a pastry cutter. Slowly incorporate ice water just until the dough begins to form.
- Pour dough onto parchment paper, divide and quickly work into two flat discs. Wrap tightly and place in the freezer to chill prior to using.
For the Cobbler:
- Combine berries, sugar, butter, and water in a heavy-bottomed pan.
- Bring to boil over medium heat and cook for 20 minutes. Berries will be soft when pressed against the side of the pan with a spoon. The blackberry mixture will also begin to thicken and become syrupy.
- Preheat oven to 425º F.
- Remove pastry for cobbler crust from the freezer and roll. Cut 1/2" strips in both portions of the dough.
- In one half of the dough, cut strips again to form individual pieces for dumplings.
- Drop the dough pieces into boiling blackberries and occasionally stir gently to make sure all dumplings are cooked, about 7 minutes.
- Remove cobbler pan from heat and place the second half of the dough in a lattice pattern on top of the blackberries. Place pieces of butter on top of the lattice crust and sprinkle with sugar.
- Place into oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
From the Add a Pinch recipe archives. Originally published 2011.
This a great and simple recipe to make it even easier I just use the pre made pie crust it’s just as good!
Thanks Lisa! xo
This cobbler is slap yo’ momma good! Thanks so much for sharing it!
Sorry, I thought the other review didn’t make it through. I guess I liked it so much, I gave it ten stars!
So happy you like it Donna! Thanks! xo
Thank you for posting this! I’m much older than you (soon to be 81) but memories of berry picking & cooking with grandmothers are about the same in different generations! I have no idea about your grandmother but “mama” had no written recipes, nor did my aunts & in a lot of instances I don’t either, it’s a “pinch” of this and a “dab” of that but it always comes out delicious! I think one of my best duplicates of one of mama’s recipes was her pear & pineapple preserves! I was once blessed with a bushel basket piled high with fresh pears & that year everybody & their brother received a pint of homemade pear & pineapple preserves! I really ♥ your blog, keep your delicious recipes coming!
What a special message, Margo! Those peach & pineapple preserves sound so delicious!!! You bring so many memories to mind!
Thank you so much for this sweet comment – I hope you continue to enjoy the recipes! xo
I made your cobbler according to your directions and it is perfectly wonderful! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I may try it with apples next!
So glad you enjoyed it Donna! We sure love that dessert at my house! Thanks! xo
Delicious recipe. Love the dumplings and the crust is great! It tastes even better the next day.
Wonderful to hear that you enjoyed it, Sofia! I’m such a fan of the dumplings in this cobbler!!! Thanks so much! xo
I just made this recipe today with fresh blackberries I picked yesterday. This is amazing!!!!!!! I did have some trouble getting it to thicken but added a little cornstarch and it was great. Had some juice left and am freezing to make home made blackberry ice cream. Thank you for the wonderful story of your grandmother. A memory I wish I had with a grandmother. My grandchildren will have the memory though. Thanks again.
Aww, thanks so much for this sweet comment, Brenda! I’m so happy you enjoy the cobbler! I am sure that the memories you are making with your own grandchildren are treasures for all of you! xo
I’ve been looking for a recipe like my mom’s for years; none of the new ones used a pastry crust only cake. I just finished teaching my oldest granddaughter how to make this cobbler. Love the idea of the dumplings. It’s cooking right now and the smell of blackberries is so heavenly. Thank you
Oh Ruththella, your comment brings back such wonderful memories for me! Those moments spent cooking alongside my mother and my grandmother were special times! I’m sure your granddaughter treasures this time with you as well.
I hope you enjoy the cobbler and am so happy you stopped by to say hello! Thanks! xo
Hi Robyn. Just made this cobbler and followed your recipe to a “t”. I used 3 cups of berries. It would never thicken. I was wondering if you meant to say “2-3 pounds of berries” instead of cups. I made your blackberry syrup a few weeks ago and it turned out great. Thanks! By the way, the taste is fabulous but I think it is blackberry soup with dumplings.
Hi Debbie,
I’m sorry it didn’t thicken when you made it. The recipe is correct though. I’m not certain why it didn’t thicken, but it should be cooked over medium heat until it thickens. It should look similar to the photo in the post if that helps. Thanks so much, Debbie. xo
Hi Robyn, is there someway to make this in to a regular blackberry pie instead of a cobbler? Blackberry pie is my mother in laws favorite and I wanted to make one for her birthday in August. I’ve looked at other recipes but they don’t seem to have very good reviews and your recipes are always so good!
Hi Robyn! Do you have a recipe for a blackberry pie? It is my mother in laws favorite and all of your recipes are sooo good!