Cobbler, Cobbler, Cobbler. Yum, Yum, Yum.

Cobbler, my favorite is peach ... then blueberry I think. I love the crisp on the top crust that's still tender on the inside. Not dry. I love the syrup the fruit makes. Especially when it's swimming around and ice cream is just melting and oozing down into everything. SO good. We went berry picking, it was on our Summer Bucket list. Which is so unofficial since I keep adding to it. Anyway look at these berries! We got a ton! So Diva helped me make some cobbler, I may can some preserves also, not sure yet.

(Taken on my phone from Instagram- since I didn't have my camera)

Pretty beetles there too

The girls and I are having so much fun this summer!
Back to cobbler, this recipe is a method. Use whatever fruit, extracts, spices you want. Make one big one, several small ones. Really for the berries/fruit sometimes I just butter the baking dish, and mixed up some fruit, sugar, lime juice- didn't have lemon, and vanilla right into the dish. Topped it with the cobbler crust and baked. Easy. No measuring, just eye ball it.
There are tons of notes below, so you may want to read through them before you start.

Blueberry Vanilla Bean Preserves
Three Ingredient Cherry Crumble

Give Peas A Chance (Whatever You Want) Cobbler

7-8 cups of berries. peaches, apples...
3/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar (3 and 1/8 ounces, 87 grams)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (3/8 ounce, 9 grams)
Zest of one lemon
1 and 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract (5/8 ounce, 16 grams)

Crust-
2 cups flour(9 and 7/8 ounces, 278 grams)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder (1/2 ounce, 13 grams)
2 Tablespoons lard (1 and 1/2 ounce, 41 grams)
5 Tablespoons butter (2 and 1/2 ounces, 75 grams)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (3 ounces, 87 grams)
1 whole egg (2 ounces, 57 grams)
1/2 cup milk (4 ounces, 115 grams)
Vanilla Bean Sugar- to sprinkle on top before baking, or granulated sugar.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a buttered baking dish, combine berries, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla. Spread the berries out to fill the bottom of the pan. Set this aside. See note*
In a bowl, add flour, salt and baking powder.
Cut in the cold lard and butter. Or use your hands to work it in until you have a cornmeal like consistency that holds together when you squeeze it together. It should hold it's for, but crumble easily.
Whisk the egg, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl.
Add a little of the milk mixture to the flour mixture at a time. Stirring. See note*
Add enough milk until the dough comes together and is soft, make sure it isn't sticky.
Place drops/mounds/balls of dough about 1-2 teaspoons worth all over the top of the berries.
Sprinkle the top with vanilla sugar, or granulated sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve warm, hot, or cold.
With ice cream.

• If you are making different cobblers, combine everything in step 2 in a bowl. Then scoop out the berry mixture into ramekins or smaller baking dishes.
• Weight of the berries- I used 1 pound 6 ounces of blackberries and about, 12 ounces of blueberries. But I need to ask Diva where she wrote down the weights.
• Use as much or as little fruit as you want. Diva told me she prefers more cobbler to fruit. 
• If you have sweet fruit cut back on sugar, or use honey if you'd like. IF you have tart fruit use a little more sugar.
• You won't always use all of the milk mixture. On this day I had about a good 2 tablespoons of liquid that I didn't use, I just discarded it. My dough was already wet enough, and anymore liquid would have made it too sticky.
• Lime juice and zest are good substitution for the lemon. Orange juice and zest would give a great variation also.
• Shortening can be used in place of lard. I use home rendered lard.
• Milk- whole milk, or half and half is what I like
• When using fruit like apples or peaches, peel and cut the fruit into pieces or wedges first.

Variations-
Cherry cobbler with almond extract, add some almond meal to the flour mixture.
Blueberry cobbler with almond extract, substitute some of the sugar in the berries for maple syrup. Sprinkle with Maple Sugar.
Peach cobbler with vanilla extract and vanilla sugar.
Mixed berry and/or fruit cobbler.
Apple cobbler with cinnamon sugar on top of the crust.

Diva, she's growing up so fast. Such a cutie. 

 

Not a great picture, but there you go.

 

Yes, I had her use gloves.

 Blueberry Cobbler YUM