A Special Recipe for a Special Day

This weekend we celebrated Mr. N’s birthday. I can’t believe my little baby boy is now seven years old! Where does the time go? We had a wonderful weekend full of birthday activities – a party, a trip to the zoo, a big dinner and lots of play time. Tonight, since it’s Mr. N’s special day, we let him choose our meal and his dessert. We’ll share all the deliciousness with you over the next few days, but since it is a celebration, we thought we’d start with dessert.

Every year for the past four years, Mr. N has requested a blackberry cobbler for his birthday dessert. But this isn’t just any blackberry cobbler, it’s my Grandma’s Blackberry Cobbler. This has been my all-time favorite dessert since I was running around in pig-tails and it’s been the family favorite for at least four generations!

I still remember the first time I tried to make this dish. I baked it for my dad – and it was awful. He tried to choke it down, but it was honestly so bad that he couldn’t finish his bowl (and that’s saying something!). Then I found a raspberry tart recipe and it came close to replicating Grandma’s cobbler, but it was still off. So when I was expecting Mr. N I asked my grandma if I could come for the weekend to learn her cobbler recipe. Like most good cooks, she doesn’t have a recipe or measurements written down; and this was one dessert I needed to know how to make and share with my growing family. I’ve made several cobblers since that weekend and if Mr. N and my dad are any indication – I’ve gotten this thing down pretty good. Thanks Grandma!

To make the cobbler you’ll need a double pie crust, preferably an all shortening recipe. I’ll share my version in an up-coming post. Next you’ll want to add about 1-1/2 cups of sugar to eight cups of blackberries. 

If the blackberries are frozen (as these were from Grandpa’s garden), you’ll also want to add at least six tablespoons of flour to help absorb some of the juice and prevent the cobbler from being too runny. If the berries are fresh, you’ll still need the flour, but not as much and you’ll also want to add about 2/3 cup of water.

After layering a greased 9″x13″ baking dish with the larger of the prepared crusts, add the blackberries to the dish.

If they appear really runny, you can add a sprinkling of flour over the top of the berries before layering with the top crust.

Next carefully place the top crust over the berries.

Then press the edges of the two crusts together to seal. Cut the remaining crusts from the edges.

Finally, add a few fork holes to the top crust for venting and sprinkle with a little bit of milk to help with browning.

The cobbler then bakes for 45-55 minutes at 375F. You’ll know it’s ready when the blackberries are bubbling and the crust is a nice golden brown.

The cobbler should be set aside to cool for at least an hour. While it is good served warm, our family has always preferred it at room temperature – including the birthday boy.

Mr. N, like the majority of other cobbler eaters in my family take theirs with milk poured over the top. Some swear this is the only way to eat Grandma’s cobbler. 

I on the other hand, prefer the cobbler straight-up and unadulterated.

One thing is certain though – no matter how you take the cobbler, your bowl will ultimately be empty. Mr. N gave a 4 spoon rating to his birthday dessert – and cleaned out his bowl.

And as for Miss A, she loves cobbler too. It was clearly a 4 spoon dessert for her as well.

As for dad and I, that goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway, 4 spoons. Happy birthday Mr. N and thanks again Grandma!

Print this recipe:  Grandma’s Blackberry Cobbler

31 thoughts on “A Special Recipe for a Special Day”

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  4. Lisa {Smart Food and Fit} says:
    Reply

    Hapyy 7th Birhday Mr. N! I have never made a blackberry cobbler so thanks for sharing this recipe, I can’t wait to try it. I use to love baking apple pies and making home made pie crusts by hand, it’s been a few years since I’ve made one but maybe for our anniversary I’ll bake one.
    Mr. N and Miss A look so darn cute with the blackberris on their faces! That right there is a sure sign of deliciousness! 🙂

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    • ChefMom says:
      Reply

      I love apple pies too! Especially in the fall. Yum! You can use the same double crust recipe you have for this dish. Just make sure to roll it out a little thinner and big enough for a 9×13 pan. 🙂 Raspberries work well too!

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    • ChefMom says:
      Reply

      Thanks Erika! I used to be terrified of pie crusts, but with a little practice, there’s nothing to it. Bread on the other hand…I’ve yet to pull one of those off without my bread machine! I’ll share the recipe for the crust sometime in the next few weeks. 🙂

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  6. Christy says:
    Reply

    How time flies, and what a lovely boy Mr N grew up to be:) Happy Birthday to him, and that blueberry cobbler looked amazing! No wonder the boy asked for it every single year:D

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  7. Charles says:
    Reply

    Happy birthday little dude! Birthday cobbler – what a treat! I always used to request the same cake year after year, in fact even at the age of 18 I was demanding a chocolate log cabin cake with chocolate fingers for the logs from my mother, haha! My father claims he doesn’t like sweet things but mysteriously the chocolate fingers would slowly vanish, starting with the chimney stack :p

    That’s a fantastic idea of adding flour to soak up the water from the frozen berries. My mother always freezes loads of berries so I’ll be sure to pass this along.

    Have a great day!

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    • ChefMom says:
      Reply

      I was just laughing with my mom today about how Miss A is freaked out that dad will eat her leftovers before she does – laughing because I used to go through the same thing with my dad. It’s no wonder I hide things in the freezer! It must be a dad thing…too funny that the chimney stack would start to disappear. LOL! I love it.
      I can’t take credit for the flour idea – that’s all my grandma. She’s an awesome cook. 🙂 And I hope Mr. N is still asking for this when he’s 18!

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  8. Geni - Sweet and Crumby says:
    Reply

    That’s a very sophisticated guy. No birthday cake topped with overly sugared frosting?! I think you have an aspiring foodie. I am so glad you baked it with your grandmother. What a great experience and ended up with the perfect cobbler recipe.

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  10. Mary says:
    Reply

    What a wonderful celebration – Happy Birthday for your lovely son! He looks SO proud and happy – just lovely ! the cobbler looked wonderful too!
    Mary x

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  14. kitchenbelleicious says:
    Reply

    Oh happy birthday to your little man! How sweet he is and how lucky he is to have a mom like you. that dessert looks amazing and I am wishing it was my birthday all over again so I can make that for myself!

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  15. thefooddoctor says:
    Reply

    Happy birthday Mr N!
    My daughter will be 7 in November..when did that happen?!
    I loved the cobbler and the memories that came with it..
    I second Mandy’s wish..with a twist ..hope you ‘ll make it for his children and they will rave about their Gandma’s recipe 🙂

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    • Farreline Oxby says:
      Reply

      Thanks, Kris for all the compliments about the cobbler. I will always remember the weekend You & Mike were here and you took some home with you. You had to stop and get a spoon so you could eat it on the way home. Love ya and keep up the joy of cooking.

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      • ChefMom says:
        Reply

        I’m the one that owes you the thanks Grandma! 😉 Hee hee. Yep, that cobbler never made it home. I don’t think dad will forget that either – I think he was hoping I’d bring him some. Bwa ha ha! He should’ve known better. LOL! 🙂

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