Blackberry Peach Cobbler with Homemade Whipped Cream

Ask a true Southerner about a quintessential Southern dessert, and chances are fruit cobbler will stand pretty high up on the list of homespun goodness. Cobbler can also be referred to as a slump, grunt, crisp, crumble, buckle, pandowdy, and many other funny names, but here we'll just stick with "cobbler." The cobbler I grew up eating had either a crumble topping made from sugar, flour, and butter, or a pie-crust like topping, such as on my Grandma's peach cobbler, that covered every inch of the top. And although my family absolutely adores peach cobbler, I haven't always liked it! My cobbler aversion lasted until just a few years ago, when for some reason I decided I would start liking it, along with pies, tarts, and other fruit-filled desserts with a crust. But after making this incredible (dare I say spectacular) blackberry peach cobbler last night for Father's Day, I can't even fathom how nutty I was for not liking cobbler for so long!

This cobbler, topped with buttery, fluffy, crunchy-topped biscuits, is brimming with an incredible amount of peaches and blackberries (which were frozen this time around - when peaches are in season, I'll be making this again!). This recipe also has an incredible amount of sugar in it, possibly because blackberries are often quite tart, but I believe this recipe is infinitely adjustable. If the fruit you find is ripe, juicy, and sweet, please feel free to cut the sugar amount.

I adapted the recipe from the Epicurious website (epicurious.com), and to it I added cinnamon, nutmeg, and a squeeze of lemon juice to cut the sweetness a bit. I cannot tell you how delicious this was - the hot, juicy fruit and buttery biscuits together (and topped with a heaping dollop of fresh whipped cream) was enough to make me want to eat it all on my own. But this is a huge recipe, so sharing is definitely in order... 

Then again, sharing may be overrated... :) 

Blackberry Peach Cobbler with Homemade Whipped Cream

Recipe adapted from Epicurious (epicurious.com)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

 1 1/4 pounds blackberries (5 cups)

2 pounds peaches (6 medium), peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk

*I used 2 pounds frozen peaches and 10 ounces frozen blackberries - still super delish!

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, 1 1/4 cups sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Add the lemon juice, peaches, and blackberries and stir well to coat. Pour the fruit mixture into a 13x9x2 baking dish. Bake the fruit for 10-15 minutes until hot and bubbly. Set aside. 

Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like course cornmeal. Stir in the milk until the mixture is just combined. Scoop 1/3 cup dollops of dough onto the hot fruit mixture until all the dough is used. Sprinkle the dough with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through. Serve warm with the whipped cream.  

Homemade Whipped Cream

8 ounces heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

In a large bowl, beat everything together for a few minutes using a whisk or a mixer with whisk attachment until stiff peaks form (not until the mixture begins to curdle!). This means, if you flip the whisk upright with a bit of whipped cream on it, there should be a nice curlycue at the tip, kind of like soft-serve ice cream :)