Blackberry Cobbler is a perfect sweet and tart dessert, with an easy buttery crust over juicy blackberries. This is a classic, Southern favorite!
This blackberry cobbler is made almost the same as our strawberry cobbler and only slightly different from our peach cobbler. They are all from the same basic recipe with a few minor adjustments for flavor.
My blackberry cobbler recipe uses buttermilk instead of regular milk, and brown sugar, which makes a more tasty crust to complement the luscious blackberries.
You can really use any fruit—blueberries would be great as well!
This easy blackberry cobbler can be made ahead and served at room temperature or heated a little in the microwave. Or you can get it ready and bake it while you’re having dinner and serve it hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Either way, your family will love it!
How to make blackberry cobbler
- Place blackberries in a saucepan with water, sugar, and thyme, bring to a boil, then simmer.
- Melt butter in baking dish and mix up batter of flour, buttermilk, and sugar.
- Pour batter into melted butter, then add berries and juice.
- Bake blackberry cobbler until golden brown on top.
Tips and FAQs
- You can use fresh or frozen blackberries. If using frozen, you’ll need to allow the berries to thaw and drain the excess juice.
- The blackberry cobbler can be baked in a 9×13-inch dish or a smaller, 9×9-inch dish. It depends on your preference for thickness. (I usually bake this cobbler in a 9×13-inch dish.)
- You can melt the butter and then mix with the flour mixture and pour in the baking dish if you prefer.
- Your Blackberry Cobbler should be golden brown on top and bubbling on the sides.
Does this cobbler need to be refrigerated?
No, not for a few days. I will usually let a cobbler sit on the counter for 2-3 days and then put in the refrigerator if there’s any left at that point.
Can you freeze blackberry cobbler?
Absolutely! You can freeze it right in the baking dish. Cover the dish well with foil and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To serve, allow the blackberry cobbler to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. You can pull it out and serve at room temperature, or heat it in the oven or microwave.
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Special thanks to my friend Marianne of Basil and Bubbly for these blackberry cobbler photos!
Blackberry Cobbler
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 5 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, (if using frozen, thaw first and drain extra juice)
- ¾ cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup self-rising flour (see notes for directions using all-purpose)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ cup whole fat buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a 13×9 inch baking dish.
- Place blackberries in a saucepan and stir in 1/2 cup granulated sugar with water. Add thyme and bring to a boil then turn down to simmer. Cook for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
- Whisk together flour and baking soda, then add remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar and whisk until well blended. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla extract.
- Once butter is melted, slowly pour in batter over the butter but do not stir. Remove thyme from blackberries and discard, then gently spoon the blackberries and any accumulated juices over the batter and do not stir.
- Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the top then bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Serve hot or room temperature with vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.
Notes
- 1 cup all-purpose
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Nutrition
Update Notes: This Blackberry Cobbler recipe was originally published May 31, 2014, and on June 14, 2020, was updated with one or more of the following: step-by-step photos, video, updated recipe, new tips.
For a different take on blackberries, try these Quick Pickled Blackberries on a crostini. 👌🏻
More Berry Desserts You’ll ❤️:
- Peach and Blueberry Upside Down Cake – you could substitute blackberries for the blueberries
- Blueberry Pie with Double Crust – a classic summer favorite
- Blueberry Breakfast Cake – another one where you could easily substitute blackberries
- Strawberry Shortcakes – you can use blackberries here
I’ve read and cooked quite a few recipes for various cobblers but this one was exactly what I was looking for and I was not disappointed!
I subbed cran -mango juice for the water. I loved the beautiful crusty part with that fine buttermilk flavor!!!
Yummm
Ty for a super easy recipe that anyone can use!👍 My 1st time making a cobbler and I’m a 55yr old man and it came out PERFECT! 🥰 Hands down the easiest and best recipe anyone can do ty so so much !! Truly 😍😘👌
Best blackberry recipe I have ever tried.
Best blackberry recipe I have ever tried.
You and I share a lot of memories growing up in the South. Like you, we were sent to the blackberry patch, shoes and socks, long pants and long sleeves secured tightly next to the wrists and ankles to keep out chiggers (didn’t work). We would come home with the mist delicious, biggest, sweetest, juiciest blackberries!!!! Oh my! The sweet memories of me and my sisters, buckets in hand, burning up because of being overdressed, headed out for the daily picking!! 🙂 The berries were made into jelly, cobblers and frozen! I carry on that tradition BUT I no longer pick them myself!! 🙂
Mrs. Geri, nobody ever made us cover up like that haha! We were out there in shorts and bare feet, just always reminded to watch for snakes. And I don’t remember ever seeing one–I imagine we made so much noise along the way that we scared them away. Chiggers were taken care of by nail polish. And I’m with you…not much of a berry picker myself these days!
We used clear polish on the chiggers as well. I was the skinniest little girl and the chiggers and mosquitoes loved me! Mother would try every remedy known to man to stop the itching. Since nothing helped she decided to cover us with clothing. Always got a chigger bite or two but never as bad as when I didn’t dress for winter! 🙂 We almost always saw snakes…Copperheads and Rattlers were plentiful in Chatsworth, GA. We learned to just go the other way, not bothering the snake. Seems like we were always in the woods or picking berries or fishing. We were always outside almost all day long! I would be as brown as a berry! 🙂 Have often wondered what that meant because we left the (rotten) brown berries! Lots of good summertime memories that always involves berry picking or in the garden. Fun!
You and I share a lot of memories growing up in the South. Like you, we were sent to the blackberry patch, shoes and socks, long pants and long sleeves secured tightly next to the wrists and ankles to keep out chiggers (didn’t work). We would come home with the mist delicious, biggest, sweetest, juiciest blackberries!!!! Oh my! The sweet memories of me and my sisters, buckets in hand, burning up because of being overdressed, headed out for the daily picking!! 🙂 The berries were made into jelly, cobblers and frozen! I carry on that tradition BUT I no longer pick them myself!! 🙂