Ingredients
- FOR THE FILLING
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated sugar, or as needed
- 6 tablespoons (39 grams) arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- 1 /2 teaspoon (3 grams) table salt
- About 2 1/2 pounds (8 cups) fresh blackberries
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- FOR THE BISCUIT TOPPING
- 2 cups (290 grams) self-rising flour, or more as needed
- 1 /4 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
- 1 /2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (3 grams) ground cinnamon, preferably freshly ground from soft sticks
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 3 /4 cup regular or low-fat buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 /4 teaspoon (1 gram) table salt
- Raw sugar, for sprinkling
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425
Whisk together 1 cup (200 grams) of the granulated sugar, the arrowroot powder or cornstarch and the salt in a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish (preferably ceramic, but metal or glass work as well). Add the blackberries and toss to coat using your fingers or a wooden spoon. Pour the lemon juice evenly over the mixture and toss gently to coat. Taste a well-coated berry, and add more or all the remaining 1/2 cup (100 grams) of granulated sugar, as needed.
Step 2
For the biscuit topping: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, 1/4 cup (50 grams) of the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon (2 grams) of the cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add the cold, cubed butter and use your fingers to rub it into the flour mixture. Pour in the buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon, to form a shaggy dough.
Step 3
Dump the dough onto a work surface, making sure to include all bits of from the bowl. You should not need to dust your work surface or your hands with extra flour, but if your dough is unusually sticky, by all means, do so. Knead the dough once or twice, divide it in half and roll each portion into a skinny 12-inch log. Slice each log into twelve 1-inch rounds, gingerly arranging them in rows on top of the blackberry filling and reshaping/correcting their round shapes, as needed, as you work.
Step 4
Whisk together the egg and salt (in the measuring cup you used to measure the buttermilk); use this to brush the tops of the dough rounds.
Step 5
Wipe out the now-empty mixing bowl with paper towel, as needed. Add the remaining 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) cinnamon, whisking to blend well. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the rounds of dough, then sprinkle a little raw sugar on each one.
Step 6
Bake (middle rack) for 10 minutes and then reduce the heat to 375 degrees; continue to bake for 40 to 50 minutes total, until the biscuits are nicely browned and the filling is bubbling between them. Check on the cobbler at 40 minutes by inserting the tip of a paring knife between the biscuits in the center to check on the filling beneath and to see whether the biscuits are cooked through.
Step 7
f the biscuits are nicely browned on top, but not beneath, and/or the filling is not bubbling in the center, cover the cobbler with foil and continue to bake until bubbling is uniform across the top of the cobbler, and the biscuits are cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
Let cool slightly before serving. The filling will continue to set as it cools; for a less-runny filling, try waiting until the cobbler cools to room temperature.