Old Fashioned Southern Blackberry Cobbler Recipe

Old-fashioned, Southern blackberry cobbler recipe is made from scratch and full of homemade country flavor. Juicy fruit filling bakes under a cake-like topping to make a delicious summer dessert everyone loves.

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 50

Total Time 55

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This family recipe was most often made with wild dewberries. Since they're hard to find nowadays I'm using ingredients that are available almost everywhere.

You'll love the big summer flavors! Perfect for a hot summer day.

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A serving of blackberry cobbler is being removed from the pan.

Table of Contents

❤️ Why you'll love it
🧾 Ingredients
📖 Variations
🔪 Instructions
🥫 Storage
💭 Things to know
👩‍🍳 FAQs
📚 Related recipes
🍽️ Serve with...
🥄 Restless Chipotle recommends
📞 The last word
📖 Recipe
✍🏻 A note from Marye...
💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love it

Homemade blackberry cobbler is so easy! Just pour the batter in and top with berries. The batter rises to the top to form the crust.
Plenty of big, juicy blackberries berries under a cake-like topping make this classic dessert extra special.
So easy - no baking skills needed!

Nothing says summer like blackberries! This simple cobbler tastes like the first day of summer vacation - just add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

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📖 Variations

You can vary this easy blackberry cobbler recipe with different fruit fillings.

half raspberries and half blackberries
strawberries
blueberries
peaches - peeled
plums - peeled
raspberries
a mixture of all of it!

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Steps showing how to make blackberry cobbler.

Mix sugar and fresh berries and simmer.
Combine flour and remaining topping ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Melt the stick of butter in the baking dish and pour the topping mixture in.
Place blackberries over the top of the batter and gently pour in any juice that's left in the pan.

🥫 Storage

Leftover blackberry cobbler should be covered with plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

I don't like to freeze it because the fruit loses texture but you can. Wrap it in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

Overhead view of the dish with a serving removed.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: If your berries are very sweet and ripe you'll want to cut back on the amount of sugar you add to them. Instead of 1 cup try ¾ cup.

You can use 1 ½ cups of Bisquick instead of flour, salt, and baking powder in this classic southern recipe if you wish.
Wild blackberries or dewberries are the absolute best if you can find them.
Use frozen blackberries if you can't find fresh.
I like my blackberry cobbler thick so I use a smaller baking dish (9x9-inch square or similar). For a thinner top crust use a 13x9-inch pan as directed in the recipe.
Don't over mix the batter or it will be tough.
If you have a lot of fresh blackberries you can double the amount for more berry-to-topping ratio. Add more sugar to taste.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Why is my blackberry cobbler runny?

The batter of this fruit cobbler soaks up any extra juice so it won't be runny. Other cobblers may need cornstarch or flour to thicken the juice.

Should blackberry cobbler be refrigerated?

Yes, leftover cobbler should be covered and stored in the refrigerator.

How long is blackberry cobbler good for?

It never lasts long around here but it will be fine in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

This old fashioned bourbon apple pandowdy is so good and it's way easier than a pie!
I love to make this peach cobbler dump cake when I'm in a hurry.
No one can turn down one of these fried pies and when they're this easy you'll make them a lot!

See more Pie Recipes →

🍽️ Serve with...

This is one of our favorite summertime meals...

BBQ chicken breast is wrapped in bacon and grilled for a tasty, quick summer meal.
Cornbread salad is easy to make and absolutely delish! Make it ahead of time for the most convenience and flavor.
Serve this old fashioned blackberry cobbler warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped topping, or whipped cream.

Cobbler on a plate with cream poured over the top. — I like a little cream poured over my cobbler when it's served. Try it!

🥄 Restless Chipotle recommends

You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.

📞 The last word

Pretty much everyone around here has their own southern blackberry cobbler recipe and they'll swear on a stack of bluebonnets that it's the only way to make it.

Cobbler recipes are one of those things that families in the south will go to war over. I am almost positive the whole Hatfield and McCoy feud was ignited by a vicious cobbler disagreement.

One crust or two?
Pie crust dough or biscuit crust...or crumble crust?
Dumplings IN the filling or no?
Shortening or butter?

Oh honey, it gets intense! Give this one a try and see if it isn't the best blackberry cobbler you've every put in your mouth.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

Closeup of blackberry cobbler with a spoon in it.

Southern Blackberry Cobbler

3.67 from 3 votes

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Course Dessert- Pie

Cuisine American - Southern

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 55

Servings:

Calories:271

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

▢ 6 cups blackberries, about 2 pounds - fresh is best
▢ 1 ½ cups sugar, use up to ½ cup more if blackberries aren't completely ripe and sweet.
▢ ½ cup butter
▢ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ 1 ½ cups milk

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium saucepan, combine the blackberries and 1 cup of sugar and mix well.
Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat.
Put butter in a 9 x 13 baking pan and place in the oven to melt.
Push the butter around to coat the pan thoroughly.
Mix the remaining 1 cup of sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk the milk into the dry ingredients slowly until the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter evenly over the melted butter in the baking dish, but don't stir it.
Spoon the cooked blackberries on top and carefully pour in the syrup that's left in the pan.
The batter rises to the top during baking.
Once the batter rises to the top I like to sprinkle it with a little sugar and continue baking.
Bake until the cobbler is golden brown and firm to the touch, 35 to 40 minutes.
Serve warm.

Notes

Storage:

Leftover blackberry cobbler should be covered with plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

I don't like to freeze it because the fruit loses texture.

Tips:

Expert Tip: If your berries are very sweet and ripe you'll want to cut back on the amount of sugar you add to them. Instead of 1 cup try ¾ cup.

You can use 1 ½ cups of bisquick instead of flour, salt, and baking powder if you wish.
Use frozen blackberries if you can't find fresh.
I like my blackberry cobbler thick so I use a smaller baking dish (9x9-inch square or similar). For a thinner top crust use a 13x9-inch pan as directed in the recipe.
Don't over mix the batter or it will be tough.
If you have a lot of fresh blackberries you can double the amount for more berry-to-topping ratio. Add more sugar to taste.

You'll find more helpful tips and variations in the body of the post.

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

First published April 20, 2018 . Last updated May 19, 2023. Editorial improvements.

✍🏻 A note from Marye...

I know y'all don't always like the stories bloggers tell so when I have one I try to put it at the very bottom so you can read or skip as you like.

We used to go blackberry picking pretty much every summer. Generally, it would start with me finding a patch of wild blackberries or dewberries while doing some summertime exploring.

We'd perfume ourselves with mosquito repellant and wrap double sided tape around the bottoms of our legs to handle the ticks.

When a bowl was filled we'd head back home, covered in mosquito bites despite the best efforts of OFF. At some point in the evening, Mom would hand us bowls of warm cobbler with some sweetened cream poured over it.

Such warm, cozy, and sweet memories!