When we moved into our rented farmhouse, we discovered the best blackberries I’ve ever tasted growing along the pasture fence. It felt like finding treasure! They were sun-sweetened and our only competition for them was the songbirds. I knew I had to put them to good use. Wild blackberry and honeysuckle grew on the fence behind my childhood swing set. Those two scents will always transport me to simpler summers.

This recipe is a combination of several I found for cobbler. I used the filling for a cobbler, and as a topping for waffles. I also made hand pies (pictured above) with a very similar recipe that had a thicker, more jelly-like filling. Here is the hand pie recipe if you prefer to try those!

Ingredients:

4 cups blackberries

1 cup boiling water

1-2 TBSP corn starch (you will add to your taste based on how thick you want your filling)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Lemon juice (you will add to taste if you want added tartness)

1 TBSP cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 pre-made pie crust 

Coarse sugar for topping (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 9 inch casserole dish. I use this baking spray. You can use a 9×13 pan if you don’t have a casserole dish, you will just have to roll your crust out thinner.
2. In a medium saucepan, mix together 1 cup of sugar, cinnamon, 1 TBSP corn starch, and boiling water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Add up to 1 more TBSP cornstarch if you want it thicker.
3. Remove mixture from heat and add the blackberries with their juices (meaning do not drain the berries before adding them). Stir gently until blackberries release some juice. Taste mixture and add lemon juice 1 tsp at a time if you want it more tart. If you’re happy with the taste, no lemon juice is needed. Set aside.
4. Roll out whole disc of pie crust to at least a 12×12 inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Gently ease the dough into the greased dish, taking care to press it into the corners without stretching. Trim the edges of the dough leaving a 1/2 inch overhang all the way around. This overhang will be folded up and over the edges of the lattice top to seal. Save any dough scraps.
5. Spoon blackberry mixture over crust. Dot the top with butter cubes.
6. Roll out remaining dough into about a 10×10 inch square. Cut the dough into 8 or 10 strips and weave a lattice crust on top. Trim the excess dough so that the strips meet the overhang at the edges. (I personally didn’t weave the strips, but simply laid them diagonally across each other. Weaving will be prettier and seal better, I just didn’t have the confidence to try it on my first cobbler attempt.)
7. Wet your fingers and seal the strips at both ends. Fold the overhang up and over the strips. Crimp edges with a fork to seal.
8. Brush the pastry with beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
9. Bake at 350 for about 55 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Cobbler can be intimidating for beginners, but the real hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the finished product to cool enough to serve! This was a big hit at my house. As I mentioned, we made the filling again for waffle topping and it was delicious! I’m so glad I tried something new and didn’t worry about it looking Pinterest-perfect. Hope you enjoy!