Enjoy all the luscious summer fruits available by baking them into a Fruit Cobbler. This one with a luscious lemon biscuit topping is a winner!
Despite the warm temps of summer, I love baking with summer fruit. Whether it’s a pie like this mixed berry pie, a batch of scones like these chocolate strawberry scones or a fruit cobbler, I’m a fan of turning on the oven when the results are luscious and delicious.
Pro tip: It helps to do your baking in the early morning or late evening when things have started to cool off.
One of the desserts we’ve been enjoying a lot this summer has been the simple fruit cobbler.
What Makes A Cobbler A Cobbler?
Folks get all kinds of confused between cobblers, crisps, pies, and tarts, but never you worry. I’ll be sharing each of them in all their glory over the next month. Starting with this quick and easy fruit cobbler.
A cobbler is a fruit-based dessert with a baked biscuit topping. The topping is often shaped in the form of cobblestones, thus its name, cobbler. When we were in England, we bought cobs at a bakery, rolls shaped like cobblestones as well. It’s a thing.
And a tasty thing at that!
How To Make This Easy Peasy Fruit Cobbler
I’ve been doing some experimenting this summer, trying different combinations of summer fruit in my fruit cobbler. It’s been awesome to find so much on sale!
Blueberries are currently $1.88 for a huge container, while small containers of raspberries have been 99 cents. Stone fruit has been on sale for 99 cents per pound. Needless to say, I’ve stocked up whenever I see these great prices.
Pro Tip: And when they are on sale, stock up and freeze your berries so you can enjoy this cobbler all year round!
To make this cobbler you want to combine your fruit – we’ve combined blueberries, raspberries, and nectarines as well as apricots, nectarines, and blueberries — all with outstanding success. I chose not to peel my stone fruit — too much of a hassle — and it worked out really well. Your mileage may vary.
Then to the fruit add your sugar, flour and lemon juice and toss gently to combine. And then just transfer to your baking dish and top it with butter.
How I make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies I use to make this recipe more economical:
- Buy in bulk. I regularly buy baking ingredients in bulk from Costco or via mail order. I store in the freezer what I won’t use soon; in this way, I can extend its shelf-life. And yes shopping at Costco can save you money if done right.
- Shop the sales. Buy summer fruit when it’s on sale to get the best value. I’m generally not too fussy about which fruits. I just choose what’s on sale and looks good.
Tools I use to make this recipe easy:
Having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.
- plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
- Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
- stainless steel mixing bowl – I’m not sure you have too many of these.
- dual-sided silicone spatula/spoon – This is great for the cooking process as well as scraping every last bit out of the pan.
- 8-inch baking dish – Choose a pretty one if you can find it. I love Pyrex, but it’s lacking on the pretty front.
Summer Fruit Cobbler
Ingredients
- 4 cup fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, pitted cherries, or chopped peaches, nectarines, or apricots
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the fruit, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and the lemon juice. Toss gently to combine. Transfer the fruit to the prepared baking dish.
- Cut 1 tablespoon butter into small cubes and distribute those over the fruit mixture.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Cube the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and add those to the bowl. Pulse until coarse crumbs are formed.
- Alternatively, you can mix the flour and other ingredients in a mixing bowl, cutting in the butter with a pastry blender.
- Stir in the heavy cream until a thick batter forms. Scoop the batter atop the fruit mixture evenly. It’s okay if the topping doesn’t perfectly cover the fruit. It will spread when baked. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar over the top of the batter.
- Bake the cobbler for 30 minutes until the fruit is thick and bubbly and the topping golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.
Notes
- Buy in bulk. I regularly buy baking ingredients in bulk from Costco or via mail order. I store in the freezer what I won't use soon; in this way, I can extend its shelf-life. And yes shopping at Costco can save you money if done right.
- Shop the sales. Buy summer fruit when it's on sale to get the best value. I'm generally not too fussy about which fruits. I just choose what's on sale and looks good.
Nutrition
Nancy
Our favorite cobbler has always been peach and blackberry. I was raised on an orchard that also had a huge wild blackberry bramble on it. The absolute best!!!!!
Jessica Fisher
What a great place to grow up!
Angie
Oh yummy! These are some of my favorite things to bake in the summer, but I’ve never thought to zest my topping! So much better! We live where the peaches are plentiful this summer and this will be my next recipe. Thank you.
Jessica Fisher
Great. Let me know how you like it!