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Scooping a portion of Strawberry Cobbler
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Strawberry Cobbler

This totally superb strawberry cobbler is crowned with a sugar studded cakey topping for an insanely delicious dessert.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword fresh strawberry desserts, fruit cobblers, Strawberry Cobbler
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4 -6 servings
Calories 529kcal
Author Kathleen

Ingredients

  • 4 cups fresh strawberries quartered
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup instant tapioca

Topping:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup boiling water

Sugar Topping:

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray an 8 X 8-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
  • Rinse the strawberries (4 cups), let whole berries dry, then slice in half or quarters.
    how to make strawberry cobbler step 1, clean and measure the strawberries
  • In a large mixing bowl, gently fold together cut strawberries, sugar (1/3 cup), lemon juice (1/2 teaspoon), and tapioca (1/4 cup). Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared baking dish.
    how to make fresh strawberry cobbler step 2, coat, toss, and transfer the strawberries in the baking dish
  • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together all the topping ingredients, except the butter and boiling water. Add the butter (6 tablespoons) and cut in with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture looks like a coarse meal. Pour the boiling water (1/4 cup) into the bowl and stir just until the mixture comes together.
    how to make strawberry cobbler with fresh strawberries step 3, mix all the topping ingredients
  • Drop the topping dough by the large spoonful evenly over the fruit mixture. Evenly sprinkle the top of the dough with 1 ½ tablespoons of sugar.
    how to make strawberry cobbler step 4, drop the toppings over the strawberries
  • Place the baking pan on a cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 35 minutes, or until the topping is cooked through and golden and strawberries are tender.

Notes

  1. Strawberries – Personally, I prefer making this cobbler with fresh farm-picked strawberries but frozen will work too. You’ll still want to ensure they’re as dry as you can get them before macerating.
    • I simply spread out layers of paper towels or clean dish towels and let the strawberries sit for 10 minutes or so. I gently turn them over a couple of times during the drying time, so that any excess water is absorbed and removed.
  2. Slice them or quarter them depending on the size of the berries and your preference. I personally like them cut simply in half or quarter, rather than thinly sliced,  so the cooked fruit is still a little chunky even after it’s cooked.
    • After you cut the strawberries you allow them to macerate in the sugar. During this process, the strawberries will release a lot of their juice. This is a good thing. All of that juice is an integral component of the flavor and texture of the cobbler. Obviously, the juice isn’t like the extra water from washing the strawberries. By all means, add all of it!
  3. Frozen Strawberries – The most important thing about using frozen berries is to make sure that they don’t have any extra water/moisture clinging to them. It’s one of those things that often occur in frozen fruits. If you’re in doubt, you can add more instant tapioca.
  4. Thickener:  Let’s face it, there are a lot of variables when it comes to thickening a cobbler or fruit pie. Because of this, you need to know your results may vary a bit. It’s tricky to achieve a thick, non-runny cobbler or pie filling.
    • One of the easiest things you can do, to help keep your filling nice and thick, is to not add any unnecessary liquid to the cobbler. Especially any liquid like water that doesn’t even add any extra flavor to the cobbler.
    • The funny thing about using thickening agents in fruit cobbler or pies is that most experienced bakers have very strong opinions about them and which ones should be used. In my experience, when I use enough flour or cornstarch to thicken the cobbler to my liking, both leave a distinct, gluey, very unpleasant flavor and a gummy texture. Interestingly, I haven’t ever had that experience with other fruits and often use both of them with great results.
  5. To thicken this cobbler, I add 3 tablespoons to 1/4 of a cup of instant tapioca and have been really pleased with the results. If you’re using early spring strawberries, they probably won’t be extra juicy, so I’d use 3 Tablespoons to the cobbler filling to thicken it. If you’re using late summer strawberries, which naturally contain a lot more juice, I’d use a 1/4-quarter cup of the instant tapioca to the filling.
  6. Sugar: Okay so ultimately the amount of sugar you’ll use in this recipe will vary on the sweetness of the strawberries. Very often late-season strawberries are naturally higher in sugar than those that have been picked in the earlier part of the season.
    • If your strawberries are super sweet, or you just like your fruit cobbler, less sweet, feel free to cut back on the sugar. For my taste, 1/3 cup is the amount I generally use.
  7. Accouterments: This amazing recipe is beyond delish all on its own. Warm or room temperature it’s totally strawberri-a-lious! It’s really scrumptious with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a big ole scoop of vanilla or French vanilla ice cream.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the recipe | Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 301mg | Potassium: 373mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 542IU | Vitamin C: 85mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 2mg