This past week was pretty quiet, I spent a couple of afternoons in the gift shop and the other three going to the therapy pool for some exercise. Next week, the activity picks up as I have places to be both on Monday and Tuesday; Wednesday, hopefully I can get back to the pool. Thursday, I will be in the gift shop and on Friday, company is on the way, and I can hardly wait to see them!
Several years ago, at lunch time, way, way before, Covid, when meals were cooked at the Senior Citizen center, and since the weather is always a good topic, I asked one of the men if he thought we were ever going to get rain. His answer was different to say the least, as he replied, “Yes, just as soon as this dry spell is over!” We both had a good laugh and went to our tables to wait for our food. I have to agree with what he said, way back then, as we have had clouds several days this week and part of last week and only about 15 drops of rain.
These cobblers are all delicious, especially the lemon one, and it’s the one I’m taking to my meeting on Tuesday. My co-hostess has never heard of Lemon Cobbler and she’s excited to get to try it. These are all pretty “kid-friendly” recipes, by which I mean a child can help you measure and maybe even spoon fruit on top of the dough mixture.
Where cobblers got their name is unknown to me, but I firmly believe it was some rushed housewife who decided to ‘cobble’ some flour, sugar and milk together and add some fruit from her pantry, who made the first one. Cobblers can be found in cookbooks dating from the early parts of the 20th century and possible even before. They are simple to make and always delicious as you can use any fruit you have on hand to make them. I have made them with apple pie filling, cherry pie filling, canned peaches or almost anything. (In fact, at one point in time, my daughter promised her lunch mate teachers peach cobbler for dessert the next day at lunch. She got ready to make it the next morning and had no peaches at home. So, since it very early in the morning, she had to get creative, and used a couple of cans of fruit cocktail that were in her pantry and had a hit on her hands!).
Here’s a recipe for One-Bowl Peach and Blueberry Cobbler that could be the easiest cobbler you’ll ever make. Simply throw all the ingredients in an oven-safe dish and top with any fruit you have on hand. Serve with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
One-Bowl Peach and Blueberry Cobbler
Prep time: 5 minutes; hands-off cooking time; 30 minutes. 4 servings.
¼ cup butter, melted
1 cup buttermilk pancake mix
½ cup sugar
½ cup milk
3 cups sliced peaches (fresh, frozen or canned, such as jarred peaches in light syrup)
½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Select an 8×8-inch square ovenproof dish or a glass 9-inch pie plate for the cobbler. If you’re feeding a crowd, double the recipe and use a 9 X 13-inch baking dish. Melt butter right in the baking dish and use the dish as a mixing bowl. 3. Add pancake mix, sugar, and milk to melted butter. Stir with a fork until just combined. Batter will be lumpy-do not over mix. 4. Scatter peaches and blueberries evenly over batter. Lightly sprinkle cinnamon evenly on top. 5. Bake for 30 minutes or until light golden brown.
You can use apples, pears, plums or mixed berries. Frozen or canned fruit works just as well as fresh fruit in this recipe.
The following cobbler recipes are some of my family’s favorites, with the first recipe for peach cobbler being from my Mother.
Peach Cobbler
1 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
¼ cup margarine
2 to 3 cups sliced peaches
½ to 1 cup additional sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Melt the margarine in a 9 X 9-inch baking pan. Peel and slice peaches into a pot, adding ½ to 1 cup granulated sugar depending on the sweetness of your peaches. Heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in the extract and set aside while you mix the dough.
Mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the milk to make a soft dough, and pour the dough mixture into the prepared pan. Top the dough with the peach mixture, (if it has made a lot of liquid, don’t use all of it); sprinkle with some cinnamon and sugar if desired, bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until done.
Cherry or Apple Cobbler
1 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
¼ to ½ cup margarine
1 can apple pie filling or cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon cinnamon or 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Melt margarine in 9 X 9-inch pan. Set aside. Combine flour, sugar and baking powder, add milk and vanilla. Mix to make soft dough and pour into pan with melted margarine. Stir cinnamon into apple pie filling or stir almond flavoring into cherry pie filling. Spoon fruit onto the top of the dough, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if desired. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold with whipped topping or ice cream.
Quick and Easy Peach Cobbler
1 box yellow cake mix
2 cans (12 to 14-oz) cans peaches or 1 large can that equals this amount
1½ sticks butter
Melt butter in 9 X 12-inch pan. Pour peaches with juice into pan. Sprinkle cake mix on top, press down into pan a little. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350ºF for about 45 minutes. Hope you enjoy these recipes, they are simple and easy to make, and most also carry well to a family outing.
Magical Lemon Cobbler
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup buttermilk (or soured milk*)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 can lemon pie filling (21-ounce)
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Place the stick of butter into a 9 X 9-inch square baking dish and place it in the oven to melt while you mix up the batter. (Keep an eye on this, you don’t want it to get brown, just melt!).
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, (flour, baking powder, salt and sugar). Pour in the buttermilk, vanilla and lemon extracts and stir or whisk until just combined. Pour the batter evenly over the melted butter in the pan, do not stir; spoon the lemon filling over the batter, bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the edges of the cobbler are golden brown. Cool before serving. *To sour milk, place 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill the cup to the 1-cup line. Stir to combine and allow to sit until it thickens.
To make this recipe for a 9 X 13-inch pan:
DO NOT double the filling, make 1½ times the dough as follows:
1½ sticks butter, 1½ cups flour, 2¼ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1½ cups sugar, 1½ cups butter milk or soured milk, 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, 1½ teaspoons lemon extract, follow above directions for mixing.