Ain't No Shoe Maker: Individual Blackberry Cobblers

As I've mentioned before, my older brothers were boy scouts. This meant that once every summer all the troops families would get together for a family camping trip. The boys would spend their days earning their camping merit badges, and the families would hang out in the woods, go hiking, splash in the river. At night, the Scoutmaster, Mr. Pankow, would teach the boys how to cook campfire meals for their families (especially their pesky little sisters), and every year, he would make the best dessert that ever came from an outdoor fire: cherry cobbler. It was one of my favorite things about summer, and cobbler remains one of my favorite "rustic" desserts.

I've never baked on a campfire, and I'm not sure I really want to bother with camping just to get that flavor. But- I was at the store the other day and saw some amazing looking blackberries. Impulsively (because really, what do I do that isn't impulsive?) I bought some, and whipped together a couple of individual cobblers for Pitchfork and me. It was super easy, AND they were A-MAZING! (Especially with Caramel Caribou cream!)

And here's how I did it...

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Step 2: In a small bowl, stir together the berries and sugar and set aside until a fruity syrup develops. (I'll admit, I ended up mashing my berries just a little to get the juices out)

Step 3:Gather together your remaining ingredients.*

*listed below

Step 4: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and milk until just combined.

Step 5: Add the melted butter and stir, again, just until combined.

Step 6: Pour batter into ungreased ramekins, which you've placed on a foil lined cookie sheet, in case they bubble over in the oven - don't ever forget that berries+sugar = potential doom!

Step 7: Now, you'll want to spoon your berries on top of the batter, making sure to distribute them as evenly as possible.

Step 8: Pop the pan into the oven, and bake those babies for 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden brown and bubbly. You're gonna want to let 'em cool off a bit, because I assume you don't want to shovel blackberry flavored lava into your mouth. But still, serve them warm, with a scoop of ice cream, if you're feeling fancy.

Side view

And from the top, again, because they're just too pretty! Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 1/4 C Blackberries (make sure you wash 'em)

1/2 C Sugar

1/2 C AP Flour

1 t Baking Powder

1/2 t Cinnamon

1/4 t Salt

1/2 C Milk

1/4 C Melted Butter

Rating:

4 outta 5 for ease of preparation and taste, but I wished it was cherry!