Homemade Raspberry Cobbler

A few days ago, I mentioned how my late grandmother’s homemade raspberry cobbler is one of my favorite foods.  I’ve been asked to divulge the family’s secret recipe, and I’m not sure if I should.     Just kidding.  It’s not really a secret anymore, since my family compiled and printed a Family Favorites Cookbook in 2004.  The book is 303 pages long and was professionally organized, edited and printed by one of my sisters who happens to be a graphic designer and editor.  It’s fabulous, and it’s great to have all the recipes of our childhood in one place, complete with a little memory blurb by each one.

So, without further ado, here is my grandmother’s homemade raspberry cobbler recipe (as found on page 143.):

Fruit Cobbler

For the fruit part of the cobbler:
Fresh or frozen fruit of your choice: blackberries, cherries, raspberries, rhubarb

Mix together in a pan and cook on stovetop:
1 to 2 T of water on fruit
Approx. 2 T sugar (note: cherries = more sugar; raspberries or blackberries = less sugar)

Bring to a boil and add 1 T cornstarch that has already been mixed with a little water.  Pour hot mixture into the bottom of a baking dish.  (Special note regarding rhubarb: Use ½ C sugar and 3 T cornstarch.)

For the topping:
Cream together ½ stick margarine + ½ C sugar
Mix in: pinch salt (1/2 tsp)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
½ C milk
1 to 1 ½ C flour (the more flour added, the stiffer the topping will be)

Spoon over hot fruit and bake in oven at 350-degrees for 40-minutes (for a 9-inch baking dish).

The above recipe was acquired and recorded by my mom, and she made the notes about using rhubarb, etc.  My mom’s version of this cobbler is awesome, too, but there was just something about Grandma’s cobbler.  I doubt she ever looked at a recipe, and she always used fresh raspberries that she had picked herself or with the help of her grandkids.

She had a huge raspberry patch by her garden on the farm, and I have the best memories of picking them with her.  The hardest part about picking the raspberries, besides avoiding the thorns, was making sure I actually had some raspberries left in my bucket when we were done. 

The topping part of the cobber was actually my favorite part of the dessert, and I remember how the raspberries would turn the underside of it a wonderful purple color.  The raspberries were absolutely delicious too, but I would scrape those off and eat those first, saving the best for last.

I haven’t had a chance to make this dessert myself, and I may try it one of these days.  The recipe hasn’t been altered to accommodate high-elevation baking, and to be honest, I’m just not sure how to do that.  Sometime, when I have the time, I’ll figure that out.  Even if I had a chance to make it, I have a feeling it just wouldn’t be the same.