Triple-Berry Cobbler

Hi friends! I’m excited to announce that I’ve partnered with the great folks over at Blavity to produce some great cooking videos, and the first one is ready to be released! *Pops an imaginary champagne cork.* For my first collaboration with Blavity I created a triple-berry cobbler recipe with a special ingredient. Let me know what you think and if you have any ideas for what recipes I should film next!

Who doesn’t love a good fruit cobbler? I sure do. Everyone is fully acquainted with the traditional peach version under a pie crust, but today I bake a mixture of three different berries under a crumble topping. Although technically speaking neither of these actually fit the definition of a cobbler, we’ll just go with that terminology for the sake of ease. Word choices aside, I will go HAM on almost any baked fruit dessert put in front of my face. (Try me.) Feel free to switch it up and use whatever fruit is in season at the time to turn it into your own recipe.

The secret ingredient in this recipe is pink peppercorns. For those of you uninitiated with them, pink peppercorns have a mild pepperiness combined with fruity and floral notes. They’re that extra component in the cobbler that make you think, “Oh, that was different and interesting” (kind of like the country track on Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” album). If you don’t feel like including them for some reason, this berry cobbler recipe will still make you feel like the boss of your kitchen. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a few fresh mint leaves (if you’re fancy), and you’ll feel like the queen/king of the world!

Triple-Berry Cobbler with Pink Peppercorns:

• two 16-ounce packages strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and halved
• two 6-ounce package blueberries, rinsed
• one 6-ounce package blackberries, rinsed
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon crushed pink peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, diced

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
2. Combine the strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pink peppercorns, vanilla extract, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Taste the fruit and add more sugar, if needed, to reach the desired level of sweetness. Toss with 2 tablespoons floor and pour the berry mixture into an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Set aside.
3. Add the butter and the remaining 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is in small pieces and you can almost squeeze it into a ball. (A pastry blender works well for this, but you can also use your fingertips.)
4. Set the fruit-filled baking dish on top of a baking sheet. Sprinkle the flour mixture evenly over the top. Bake until bubbling and a pale golden brown on top, about 45 minutes. Let cool before serving.

What’s your favorite type of cobbler? Tell us in the comment section below. Oh, and be sure to check out Blavity!