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Fresh Berry Cobbler

Summer berries transcend into a triple melody, amped by a golden biscuit topping, and raised to heavenly realms with your favorite dollop of dairy.

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fresh berry cobbler in a 9x13 baking dish topped with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, additional fresh berries and fresh mint
Photography by Gayle McLeod

Best + Easy Berry Cobbler, Coming Right up!

There’s something we particularly love about a recipe that combines best + easy. This mixed berry cobbler is just that and more! It’s also a delicious way to celebrate the abundance of berry season. Depending on where you live, berry season begins with the anticipation of red, ripe strawberries and cherries, followed by blueberries, raspberries, and then ending on one of our personal favorites, blackberries. Berry season also has a beautiful moment of overlap when strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are all in top form. That's when you’ll most likely see pints of berries at your local farmer’s market and in the entry of grocery stores on sale. It’s the perfect time to stock up in preparation for making this easy triple berry cobbler!

fresh berries, butter, flour, sugar, salt, mint leaves, baking powder and heavy cream in bowls to make fresh berry cobbler

What is a Cobbler??

Imagine if a fruit pie and a biscuit-y shortcake made a baby. Warm cooked berries mixed with fresh mint and topped off with an easy cream-and-sugar spiked biscuit dough that bakes into a perfectly crunchy golden-brown cap. Think of a cobbler as a biscuit meets baked fruit heaven. Just don’t skimp on the butter or cream—now is not the time. Cobbler gets its name from the batter or dough that goes on top. The batter is cobbled (think dolloped) on top of the fruit in such a way so when it cooks, it spreads out with a few of the berries and their juices popping through. As steam is released from the water in the berries, the gooey pie-like filling caramelizes the fruit base. Trust us, this is the best part of the cobbler!

fresh blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries in a glass bowl to make fresh berry cobbler
fresh blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries in a glass bowl sprinkled with flour, sugar and salt
fresh blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries mixed with with flour, sugar and salt
fresh berries mixed with with flour, sugar and salt in a 9x13 pan topped with pads of butter and fresh mint leaves

Can You Substitute Frozen Berries for Fresh in This Mixed Berry Cobbler Recipe?

Our berry cobbler recipe suggests using fresh berries and in general, fresh fruit whenever possible. However, you can make cobblers, crisps, and crumbles with frozen fruit! So if you have an extra large bag of mixed berries hanging out in your freezer and you're wondering what to do with them, we’ve got you covered! For our mixed berry cobbler recipe we chose strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. It’s important to note that blueberries have less pectin than most other berries, so you want to combine them with others to thicken up in your dessert!

flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor for fresh berry cobbler
heavy cream being poured into a food processor with flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt for fresh berry cobbler
heavy cream, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt that has been pulsed together in a food processor to make cobbler
cobbler dough divided into 12 equal biscuits on parchment paper to make fresh berry cobbler

Cobblers, Crumbles, and Crips, Oh My!

What’s the difference between cobblers, crumbles, and crisps? If you haven’t already tried our recipe for mixed berry crisp, you should make a beeline to the recipe after you try this one. It offers the 411 on cobblers, crips, and crumbles. Here’s a Cliff’s Notes version!

United they stand – Cobblers, crisps, and crumbles are all versions of deep dish, fruit based, pastry topped desserts. Delicious straight from the oven with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream. And they all are perfect for next morning breakfasts, just like pie! We also love a good strawberry rhubarb combo or even this rhubarb cobbler with mint.

It’s what binds them together – It's the thickened cooked fruit that binds these types of berry desserts together. Cooked in a mixture of sugar, sometimes lemon juice or other aromatics (we love mint!), and butter! When these forces combine, along with the naturally occurring pectin in berries, what's created is comforting gooey-ness suspending the fruit!

What differs for these three dishes is the topping –

  • Cobbler - biscuit batter laid down in a cobbled pattern on top of the fruit.
  • Crumble - streusel topping made of flour, sugar, and butter sprinkled over the top of the fruit.
  • Crisp - streusel topping just like the crumble with the addition of oats, sometimes nuts and other warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom.
mixed fresh berries and mint leaves that have been baked in the oven being stirred with a spatula in a 9x13 pan
mixed fresh berries and mint leaves that have been baked in the oven topped with cobbler dough biscuits

Naked Cobbler, We Think Not - How to Serve Our Easy Berry Cobbler

Our already craveable old fashioned berry cobbler might have you dancing once you add a scoop of vanilla or strawberry ice cream. Hot out of the oven, once the ice cream hits the cobbler, a creamy pool of sweet cream intertwines with the acidity of the berries. Don’t care for ice cream? We also love a dollop of whipped cream or even creme fraiche if you want something a little less sweet!

homemade fresh berry cobbler hot out of the oven made with strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries
fresh berry cobbler in a 9x13 baking dish topped with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, additional fresh berries and fresh mint

How to Make Triple Berry Cobbler

This berry cobbler recipe comes together easily. Once you’ve assembled all your tools and ingredients, it’s gonna be a quick ride from conception to fruition…pun intended.

  1. Thoroughly rinse all of the berries in a colander and let sit in your kitchen sink to drain. (if you are using strawberries, be sure to cut them into bite size pieces!)

  2. Place the berries into a 9x13 inch baking dish or 12-inch cast iron skillet and sprinkle them with the sugar and mint. Dot with the butter.

  3. Bake the berries for 20 minutes or until they soften and bubble around the edges.

  4. While the berries bake, make the biscuits.

  5. Arrange the biscuits on top of the freshly baked berries and sprinkle them with the raw sugar.

  6. Serve the cobbler warm with vanilla or strawberry ice cream, sweetened crème fraîche or fresh whipped cream.

fresh berry cobbler in a 9x13 baking dish topped with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream, additional fresh berries and fresh mint

Tools You’ll Need.

Love Making Simple Fruity Desserts? Here’s a Few More We Love!

a piece of homemade fresh berry cobbler topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream  and mint leaves in a bowl with a spoon

Before You Devour All of The Best Berry Cobbler, Take a Pic!

There’s nothing quite like creating a gorgeous fresh berry dessert and capturing it on camera to share with friends, fam, and us! Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Bon appetit!

Fresh Berry Cobbler

  • Serves: 12
  • Prep Time:  20 min
  • Cook Time:  45 min
  • Calories: 300

Ingredients

  • 6 cups fresh berries such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or cherries
  • ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Biscuits

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons raw sugar, for sprinkling
  • Vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche or fresh whipped cream, for serving

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

  2. Wash the berries. If using strawberries, cut them into bite sized pieces.

  3. In a bowl mix the berries with flour, sugar, and salt. Place the berry mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish or 12 inch cast iron skillet. Sprinkle it with mint. Dot with the butter.

  4. Bake the berries in the oven for 20 minutes or until they soften and bubble around the edges, take the pan out of the oven, and stir gently with a spoon or spatula.

  5. While the berries bake, make the biscuit dough. In a large food processor, pulse the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar 5 times until the ingredients are mixed. Add the butter and pulse until the largest pieces of butter are smaller than grains of rice, about 10 more times. Pour in the cream and pulse just until the dough gathers in clumps. Do not overmix. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Lightly form each piece into a shaggy disk the size of a sausage patty, about 2 ½ inches in diameter.

  6. Arrange the biscuits on top of the hot berries and sprinkle with the raw sugar. Put the dish back in the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the biscuits are a golden brown.

  7. Serve the cobbler warm with vanilla or strawberry ice cream, sweetened crème fraîche or fresh whipped cream.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories300
  • Protein3 g
  • Carbohydrates50 g
  • Total Fat3 g
  • Dietary Fiber3 g
  • Cholesterol26 mg
  • sodium151 mg
  • Total Sugars32 g

Fresh Berry Cobbler

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Annette M DeDecker-Teal

    I have an abundance of frozen berries. Can I substitute frozen for the fresh?

    Absolutely!

  • Latasha Baker

    This recipe was amazing!

    Thanks Latasha, so glad you loved it!

  • Peri Lipin

    Cobbler topping was great. The mint flavor was a bit overwhelming and off. I would probably swap it out for lemon next time.

    Thanks Peri, glad you enjoyed it. Lemon would probably taste great as well.

  • Jenn

    Outstanding. The biscuity topping is amazing.

    Thanks Jenn! Glad you loved it!