Old-Time Blackberry Cobbler

By Cupcake_Queen

Ingredients

• Pastry for a 9-inch Double-Crust Pie
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 cups fresh blackberries (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 tbsp cold butter, chopped into small pieces

Preparation

Step 1

Heat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out about 1/3 of the dough and trim it to make a 9 inch square. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment, wax paper, or aluminum foil. Place on the center shelf, and bake until the pastry square is dry, lightly browned, and developing small bubbles over the surface (about 10 minutes). Set aside to cool; leave oven on.

Roll out another 1/3 of the dough into a 10 or 11 inch square and gently fit it into a 8 or 9 inch baking pan. Cut the dough into pieces as needed to piece together a bottom crust, shaping it to cover the surface of the baking pan. Trim the dough to leave 1/2 inch overhang. This way, you will have plenty of crust to fold back down as you finish the pie. Press firmly wherever there are seams in the dough, so that the pan is sealed completely to hold in the delicious, bubbly filling as it bakes. Set aside all the scraps and pieces of pie dough for finishing up the top lattice crust.

Combine the sugar and flour in a small bowl. Stir the vanilla into 1/4 cup cold water. Place the two mixtures by the pastry lined pan, along with the blackberries and the pastry square.

Scatter half the blackberries into the pan. They won't cover it completely, and that is fine. Sprinkle half the water mixture over the berries, as well as half the sugar. Also sprinkle half the cut butter pieces.

Place the baked pie crust square over the berries and repeat the process, scattering in the remaining berries, sugar, water, and butter.

Roll out the remaining pastry and scraps into a 10 inch square. Cut 14 long strips, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Drape 7 of the pastry strips over the berries in one direction, so you have a 1 inch overhang on each side. Drape the remaining 7 pastry strips at right angles to the first batch, in a criss-cross design, making a big, edible, tic-tac-toe board. Dip your fingers in water, and dampen the underside of each strip end. Press each one against the crust, sealing it against the pastry side of the pan.

To finish the crust, fold the top edges of the pie crust up, enclosing and covering the strips, and just touching the berries. Press to seal them against the side of the pan. To seal the crust, you can pinch the dough into a crimped pattern, or press it flat against the sides of the baking pan with the back of a fork, making a design with the tines.

Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch spills, and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350. Bake until the filling is juicy and bubbly up through the pastry strips, and the crust is golden brown, 45-50 minutes more. Place the pie on a cooling rack or a folded kitchen towel and let cool for 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.