Old Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler

One of my Aunts that we fondly call “funny Doris” put out her recipe for blackberry cobbler and my late Grandma’s crust this week.  It evokes great memories and makes my mouth water just thinking about it.  I asked her if she’d mind if I blogged it, but assured her it is okay if she preferred not.  
Here is her response (which I can imagine hearing her voice as she speaks in a slow Texas drawl with some chuckles and laughter). "I don't care, my mother's past caring, and someone might enjoy this old-fashioned way of doing it."

I mix 2 quarts of blackberries with 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups sugar, depending on the taste of the berries in a large saucepan and heat until they boil, add a stick of real butter (or less) depending on your tastes cut into pieces.

I think she’d make another one if I mentioned I might come over to see her…


post script

• I separated the listed the ingredients to make the recipe clearer and easier to read in the printable copy below.
• When she says put scraps of crust in with the berries, it is to help thicken the cobbler.
• A pastry blender is a hand tool for cutting the shortening into the dry ingredients.  If you don't have one you can use two knives like scissors and cut rapidly across the shortening and dry ingredients until it is in small crumbles.

Old Fashioned Blackberry Cobber

Old Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler

by ForWhatItsWorth.com

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

6078446

Ingredients (6-8 servings)

Cobbler ingredients

• 2 quarts blackberries
• 1 1/2-2 cups sugar
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

The crust is my mother's old standard doubled

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup Crisco solid
• 1/2 cup or more ice water

Instructions

Cook berries

• Put 2 quarts of blackberries with 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups sugar, depending on the taste of the berries in a large saucepan
• heat until they come to a rolling boil
• then take them off the heat.
• Add a stick of real butter (or less) depending on your tastes, cut into pieces.

Crust

• Use a pastry blender to cut Crisco (solid lard) into flour and salt. 
•  As quickly as possible make into a ball:  Slowly add cold water using just enough to make a dough ball.  That means, use your hands to turn the flour pebbles into a ball. Don't handle the dough too much because the Crisco will start to melt and the crust will be tough. (If grandma had known about blenders or Kitchenaide Mixers, this wouldn't be an issue and it would be even faster!)
• For a double crust, divide dough into 2 balls, roll each one out about 1/4" thick, trim as needed (to shape of pan), place one on bottom of lightly greased pan, trimming to fit and save one crust for the top of the cobbler.

Put it together

• Put one crust on the bottom of the pan.
• Pour berries over the bottom crust,
• put scraps of crust in with the berries,
• lay on the top crust and
• bake at 400 degrees until brown.”

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