Cherry Cobbler

This is such a wonderful time for fresh berries and cherries. We spotted some sweet cherries on sale at our local grocery store last week and grabbed a couple bags. My original plan was to make some cherry vanilla ice cream, but then I thought of cherry cobbler with all the lush cherries and juice and the soft, fluffy biscuits on top. Serve it warm with some vanilla ice cream and that would hit the spot!

When we got around to making the cobbler a few days later, the boys helped me remove the stems and find any bad cherries, of which there were plenty. Actually the cherries weren’t bad, but I realized that my three-year-old had been sneaking into the bags in the frig and taking bites out of the cherries and putting them back, just like he had done with the hot rolls back in April! We had to toss about a dozen half-eaten cherries.

This recipe combines two different cobbler recipes from Epicurious. I like the flavor of the cherry filling and the stove top method for cooking down the cherries before baking because I think it’s more efficient than cooking the cherries down in the oven. That means that I don’t have to have my oven on for so long, heating up the kitchen on a hot summer day. The original recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but I prefer to use White Lily Self-Rising Flour for this sort of thing because the biscuits turn out so light and fluffy. In case you can’t find White Lily Flour in your area, I’ve included the original instructions using all-purpose flour and baking powder in the Variations.

Equipment

large sauce pan
2-quart casserole dish
food processor (or large mixing bowl)
large bowl
#20 or #40 scoop

Ingredients

CHERRY FILLING
1 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
6 cups fresh or frozen pitted tart cherries
1 tablespoon Frangelico or Di Saronno Amaretto
1 teaspoon vanilla
scant 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

BISCUITS
2 cups White Lily Self-Rising Flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 large egg
cinnamon sugar mixture

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.

***While the oven preheats***

2. FILLING: In the saucepan whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add cherries, liqueur, vanilla, and allspice and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes and transfer to the casserole dish.

3. BISCUITS: Add the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to the food processor bowl and pulse 3 or 4 times. Add the butter pieces and pulse about 10 times, no more. Whisk 3/4 cup whipping cream and egg in the large bowl. Pour the flour mixture into the large bowl and stir just until the dry ingredients are wet. Gently knead the dough in bowl just until it comes together. If you overwork the dough, the biscuits will be tough.

4. ASSEMBLE: Use the scoop to form the biscuits and drop them over the cherries, spacing apart. Brush dough with whipping cream and sprinkle some cinnamon sugar mixture over the dough. You may have some dough left over, and you can just drop those biscuits onto a baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes.

5. BAKE: Bake in the preheated oven until the cherries are bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve hot or warm with vanilla ice cream.

Variations

If you can’t find White Lily Flour in your area, you can use 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon baking powder.

Resources

Wikipedia – Cobbler (food)

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