Berry Yummy

In less than a hour you can serve up this simply divine south Texas dessert. Pop it in the oven just before you sit down to eat and serve warm with Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream for a taste of true Texas tradition.

Some people love strawberries, some love blueberries, many love raspberries but me…I’m a dewberry girl through and through! I am also lucky enough to live in south Texas where I can enjoy dewberries because they do not grow everywhere, and you cannot buy them in stores. Due to this many people have never heard of them before and do not know the difference between a dewberry and blackberry. Dewberries are very common along south Texas roadsides, fields and wooded paths. They grow along the ground as a thorny vine, unlike blackberries which grow in the form of an upright cane. Dewberries are also sweeter and larger than the blackberry. However, the most unique thing about dewberries is that they can only be enjoyed through a bit of inconvenience. Collecting dewberries "berry picking" can be quite the daunting task being that it is a bit painful and messy but the pains of picking quickly fade away when you taste their sweetness.

Growing up I have always loved dewberries and dewberry cobbler with Blue Bell homemade vanilla ice cream has to be my favorite! However, this was my very first time making a dewberry cobbler and I must say it turned out just as sweet and delicious as I remember. When researching different recipes, I found many people just substitute dewberries for another berry cobbler recipe like blackberry cobbler. There are also several different ways to make cobblers so for my first time making dewberry cobbler I used my trusty peach cobbler recipe method and just adjusted some of the ingredients. I have a feeling I will likely try to make a couple of more dewberry cobblers while they are still in season so I can try some different methods to see which one turns out the best. However, until then I couldn’t wait to share this scrumptious recipe with y'all. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Also, FYI I made two dewberry cobblers at the same time which is why there are pictures of two different dishes.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cup Dewberries

1 ¼ cup Sugar, divided

½ tsp. Cornstarch

1 tbsp. Water, warmed

1 cup Flour

2 tsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. Salt

1 cup Milk, room temperature

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

8 tbsp (1 stick) Butter, melted

Zest of 1 Small Lemon, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

First you want to rinse the dewberries by placing them in a colander and dipping them in a bowl of cold water. Gently swish the berries in the colander then transfer them to a paper towel lined baking sheet to drain. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Once the dewberries have drained and dried some transfer them to a bowl and cover them with 1 cup of sugar, gently toss and let them sit for about 15 min.

In a small ramekin mix the cornstarch and warm water until dissolved. In a small saucepan, add the sugar covered dewberries and cornstarch water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer just until sugar is dissolved then remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup of flour, ¼ cup of sugar, 2 tsp. of baking powder and ½ tsp. of salt. In a small mixing bowl, add melted butter, milk and vanilla.

Slowly pour liquid mixture into the dry mixture and mix until smooth. Add lemon zest to batter and mix. Pour batter into 8”x8” dish or a 11.5” deep pie dish. Gently spoon in berries and syrup over batter, do not stir.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Simply take a toothpick and insert it into the center of the cobbler. If it comes out clean, or only with a few moist crumbs, the cobbler is done. If it comes out with wet batter on it, you will need to cook it for a few more minutes and retest.

XOXO,

South Texas Blonde