What You’ll Need To Make Blueberry Cobbler
- Unsalted Butter: Brings richness and moisture to the fruit filling and helps the biscuit topping bake up golden and crisp.
- Fresh Blueberries: They bubble up into a jammy filling as the cobbler bakes. Feel free to use frozen blueberries if fresh aren’t available.
- Sugar: Sweetens both the blueberries and the biscuit topping, keeping the tart berries balanced and the topping subtly sweet.
- All-Purpose Flour: Thickens the fruit juices a bit and gives the biscuit topping its structure. Measure by spooning into your cup and leveling off.
- Lemon Zest: Adds a pop of bright citrus flavor to the topping.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: The leaveners that help the biscuit topping puff up nice and fluffy in the oven.
- Buttermilk: Adds moisture and a hint of tang to the biscuit topping. If you don’t have any on hand, you can make your own buttermilk.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep the blueberries. In a large bowl, toss the blueberries with 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons flour until coated. Don’t worry if they look powdery—that’s normal.
Step 2: Add to baking dish. Pour the blueberry mixture into the greased 2-quart baking pan and dot the top evenly with 2 tablespoons of butter pieces.
Step 3: Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups flour, 6 tablespoons sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
Step 4: Cut in the butter. Add the chunks of cold butter, and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to work the butter in until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits throughout.
Step 5: Add the buttermilk. Pour in the buttermilk and stir gently until just combined—it should be a bit lumpy.
Pro Tip: Don’t overmix! Overmixing can make the biscuit topping a little tough; a shaggy dough bakes up fluffy and tender.
Step 6: Assemble the cobbler. Use a large spoon to drop 8 to 10 mounds of the biscuit batter over the berries, leaving some spots for the filling to peek through (leaving gaps lets the bubbling filling caramelize a bit around the biscuits). Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over the top—this helps the dessert brown nicely in the oven.
Step 7: Bake until golden. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 35 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the biscuits are a light golden brown. If the biscuits are nicely golden but the center needs more time, loosely cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Let the cobbler cool, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Letting it rest helps the juices thicken and makes serving easier (and less runny!).
Pro-Tips for Blueberry Cobbler
- Fruit subs. I generally don’t recommend swapping fruits in baked desserts—different fruits cook differently and may need other adjustments. That said, I have wonderful recipes for both peach cobbler and apple cobbler you may like instead. If you’re curious about another fruit, feel free to email me at jennifer@onceuponachef. I’m always happy to weigh in!
- Make it ahead. You can bake the cobbler a day ahead; cover with foil and keep at room temperature. Reheat in a 300°F oven until warmed through.
Blueberry Cobbler
Serves 6 to 8 Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes Total Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes, plus 15 to 20 minutes for the cobbler to cool- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing the pan
- 4 cups fresh blueberries (see note)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 7 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon packed grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
- 1 cup buttermilk (see note)
- Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Make the biscuit topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and the lemon zest, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and blend with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized clumps of butter within. Add the buttermilk and stir with a spoon until just combined. It will look a bit lumpy; that’s good. Do not overmix.
Using a large spoon, dollop 8 to 10 spoonfuls of the biscuit batter over the blueberries, allowing the filling to peek through in spots (most of the filling will be covered). Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon sugar over the batter.
Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the biscuit top is golden, about 35 minutes. Check the cobbler; if the biscuit topping is nicely golden, cover loosely with foil and bake for 10 minutes more (even if the top is golden, the center still needs time to cook through). If it is not yet golden, leave uncovered and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove the foil, if necessary, and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
Note: When baking with berries, there’s always some variation in the sweetness of the fruit. Taste the blueberries; if they happen to be very sweet, reduce the sugar in the filling to 2/3 cup.
Note: If you’d prefer to make your own buttermilk, follow my easy method here.
Make-Ahead Instructions: The cobbler can be made one day ahead and kept, covered with foil, at room temperature. Reheat, covered with foil, in 300 degrees F oven for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and continue reheating for 15 to 20 minutes more, or until warmed through.
Nutrition Information
Per serving (8 servings)
Calories: 390, Fat: 15 g, Saturated fat: 9 g, Carbohydrates: 62 g, Sugar: 39 g, Fiber: 2 g, Protein: 4 g, Sodium: 398 mg, Cholesterol: 39 mg
