Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Dewberry Cobbler

It's dewberry time in Texas. These wild berries are akin to blackberries, though much more tart. Back in March, we saw the wild vines start to flower. 
And as the flowers lose their petals, you can see the green berries starting to emerge. Since they grow in the strangest spots, the flowers help remind me where I'll want to revisit when it comes time to pick. 
A few weeks later, I start to check on the berries. Red means they're still ripening, though a few purple ones are starting to appear.
Finally, they're ready to pick. 
I rinse them well, then dry them, before spreading them in a single layer on a sheet pan. Then I pop the pan in the freezer for about an hour to flash-freeze the berries. Once frozen, I transfer them to zip-top freezer bags and store them in the freezer so they're ready whenever I need them. 

Like now, when I want to make Dewberry Cobbler

Here's what you'll need:
  • 1 stick of butter (8tablespoons)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 cups dewberries (you could also use blackberries)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter in square baking pan and place in oven until melted. 
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Add egg, milk and vanilla and stir to combine. I recommend doing this after the butter has melted.

Pour/spoon batter over melted butter and do not stir.

Top with berries.

Bake for 50-60 minutes.

Serve alone...
Or with whipped topping or ice cream. Though some people just can't decide.
I love doing cobbler this way. So easy, so delicious. And this recipe brings out the delightful taste of these springtime berries.


What types of berries grow wild where you live? Do you ever pick them? If so, what's your favorite thing to make with them?

Three time Carol Award finalist Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she's not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more a mindyobenhaus.com.



13 comments:

  1. Wow! I've never heard of dewberries before. But the cobbler looks delicious!

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    1. Mary Cate, the sweetness of the cake part is the perfect compliment to the tartness of the berries. A perfect pairing.

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  2. While reading this I thought those look like black berries. Then you said you can sub. Once I get unpacked I might just do this since I'm not expected to start my job for a couple weeks I will have some baking time!! Those railroad workers won't know what hit them when he starts taking bags of cookies with him!

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    1. Your mother-in-law is correct, they will love you, Katie. And it's always nice to have appreciative folks to pass your baked good onto. That way, you can still experience the joy of baking without worrying about eating it all yourself.

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  3. I've heard of dewberries, but have never seen them. What a treat!

    And this cobbler...it looks SO simple and easy. I'm sure it would be good with blueberries, too, wouldn't it? I have plenty of those in the freezer!

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    1. Jan, I've wondered how this recipe would work with blueberries. You might want to cut the sugar just a bit, since you're not compensating for any tartness. However, you might could add a little bit of lemon zest, too. I love lemon zest with blueberries. That's another perfect pairing. You'll have to let me know if you try it with a different type of berry.

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  4. Ooooohhhhhh -- I've never made a cobbler this way! I'm intrigued. Never heard of dewberries either. Would raspberries work as well? We don't have any fresh berries yet but there's a sale on frozen blackberries at my local grocery store. Might have to make a shopping run! Oh -- and clueless cook question: do you thaw the berries before adding them? Or just toss them on frozen?

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    1. Kav, raspberries might be a little too mushy. They're more delicate than blackberries, so I'm not sure how they'd do. As for the frozen berries, I usually set them out about the time I start preheating the oven, so they're only slightly frozen when I add them.

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  5. So they look like blackberries, the wild ones up here... I always thought dewberries were like gooseberries, so consider me educated... and I love fresh crisps and cobblers. So good..... Love them. And what a look at summer, Mindy! I saw the 80 degree weather (with rain) for you guys this week because with a kid in Dallas, I Mom-Stalk Dallas weather. And serial killers. If there are any. It's what moms do!!!!! ;)

    Thank you for this!

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    1. Of course, you mom-stalk, Ruthy. We all do, don't we? Yes, Dallas has had a lot of rain, while we've only been on the outer fringes, which means we need rain. Don't care so much about the storms, but rain is always good. Our temps, however, are hot and steamy. Yuck.

      No, dewberries are not at all like gooseberries. At least not in appearance. I don't know what a gooseberry tastes like, though. Just look at the dewberries. You'd think they were blackberries.

      I love cobblers and crisps too, but I always think of crisps in the fall. I don't know why that is. Perhaps that's just the time of year my mom made them, like when apples were being picked. Whatever the case, I now want crisp. Perhaps there will be a dewberry crisp in my future. Stay tuned.

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  6. I'm not at all familiar with dewberries (although I think maybe you're mentioned them before). It's fun to learn about something new! The cobbler looks so good!

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    1. Missy, I have talked about dewberries before. It's strange that they're not sold in stores. Though you will find them at farmers markets in our area. Maybe it's the fact that they're wild. All I know is that they make a yummy cobbler.

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