Black Iron Black Raspberry Cobbler

Wild Black Raspberry Cobbler in a cast iron skillet

Black Iron Black Raspberry Cobbler: a decadent celebration of early summer, baked in a cast iron skillet.

Nature provides us with many wonderful and important things.  Among the most important are oxygen and wild black raspberries.  Truly, I can’t think of many things better, and nothing that makes a better celebration of early summer than Wild Black Raspberries.    Yes, that’s in title caps intentionally.

Picking them is a metaphor for life.  Good things don’t come easy, and some of the best come with a good deal of itching: our raspberries grow in the same niches favored by poison ivy, stinging nettle, wild blackberry, wild roses, and mosquitoes, and the tiny berries take a long time to pick.  But the reward is wonderful.  This cobbler takes a bunch of berries, so I tend to reserve it only for special people, like myself and my wife.  I bake it in a 9″ cast iron skillet, because I like it that way!

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Wild Black Raspberry Cobbler
A perfect celebration of the perfect wild fruit of early summer. Baked in a 9" cast iron skillet, because it looks and tastes better that way.
Wild Black Raspberry Cobbler in a cast iron skillet
Votes: 4
Rating: 4.75
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Desserts
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Course Desserts
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Wild Black Raspberry Cobbler in a cast iron skillet
Votes: 4
Rating: 4.75
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Make the Filling
  1. Preaheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and hot water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, while stirring. Continue to stir and cook until it starts to thicken, about 1 minute.
  3. Add the berries and gently stir in. Be careful not to smoosh the berries, and cook only until the berries are hot - do not boil!
  4. Pour the berry goo into a 9" cast iron skillet, or some other deep baking vessel if you aren't properly equipped. Spread 1 tbsp of chopped butter over the surface of the berry goo.
Make the Topping
  1. The topping is just a simple shortbread. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and cut in (I usually just use my fingers, because I don't want to wash stuff. But a quick few pulses in the food processor would be best) until it resembles corn meal with a few pea-sized chunks of butter.
  2. Stir in the buttermilk just until combined. Don't over-mix, just moisten the dry ingredients.
Assemble & Bake
  1. Drop the dough by the spoonful on top of the berries. It should cover fairly well, but do leave a few gaps here and there. Optionally, brush the top of the shortbread with milk, and sprinkle with sugar for extra sparkle.
  2. Bake 35-40 minutes, until the shortbread is lightly browned.
  3. Resist the temptation to dig right in until it has cooled for at least 5 minutes.
Recipe Notes

Some people like to serve cobblers like this with vanilla ice cream.  That's a nice touch sometimes.  I usually prefer to serve it with more cobbler...

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