When you need a quick and easy holiday dessert, make a berry cobbler! This fruit cobbler is full of sweet, juicy mixed berries and topped with a buttery biscuit topping. This recipe is a snap to make using either fresh or frozen fruit!
There are some recipes that I just can’t seem to get enough of, and cobblers are one of them. They're versatile, so easy to make and so incredibly delicious!
Warm fruit nestled into a baking dish covered in a sweet crispy biscuit topping. The flavor is irresistible, especially with a big scoop of ice cream on top!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Versatile- You can make this recipe with any fruit you like. Apples, peaches, berries - use whatever you have on hand! Softer fruits are better than firm, crunchy fruits.
- Can be made with frozen berries- Fresh berries can be expensive! This recipe is great with fresh or frozen berries (I actually prefer using frozen ones!)
- The best biscuit topping. The topping on this berry cobbler is a cross between a biscuit and a sweet cake.. it's SO good. Buttery, crispy and delicious - you'll love it with the sweet berries!
I have made a lot of different cobbler recipes, and while I love Apple Cobbler and Blackberry Cobbler, I can say that this mixed berry cobbler is the best one by far.
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
To make this mixed berry cobbler, you'll need just a few ingredients:
- fresh or frozen berries: Use any combination of fruit you like. I use a mix of raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries.
- granulated sugar
- fresh lemon juice: The acid in lemon juice balances some of the sweetness of the fruit. Use freshly squeezed juice, not juice from concentrate.
- flavoring and spices: You'll need some vanilla extract and ground cinnamon.
- cornstarch: This is used to thicken the fruit juices in the filling.
Biscuit Topping
- all-purpose flour: I prefer unbleached all-purpose flour because it's less processed.
- baking powder: This leavener helps to create a light and flaky topping.
- salt: Be sure to use a coarse grain of salt, like sea or kosher salt. Avoid using iodized table salt - it tends to give baked goods a metallic aftertaste.
- butter
- buttermilk: I use buttermilk instead of regular milk because baking powder needs an acidic ingredient to activate it.
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- all-purpose flour: If you'd like to make this cobbler recipe gluten-free, swap the AP flour for a cup-for-cup variety of gluten-free all-purpose flour. Two popular brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.
- baking powder: To use baking soda as a substitute for baking powder, use ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar plus ¼ teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 teaspoon of baking powder the recipe calls for.
- cornstarch: This is a gluten free leavener. Tapioca flour and arrowroot flour are good substitutes for cornstarch. You can use an equal amount of all-purpose flour if you prefer, but it can cause the berry cobbler filling to be a bit clumpy.
- white granulated sugar: To reduce the calories in your cobbler, feel free to use any cup-for-cup granulated sugar substitute. Monkfruit sugar is a good option. Light brown sugar can be used instead, but it does add some molasses flavor to the dessert.
- unsalted butter: If you need or want to use salted butter, just omit the ¼ teaspoon of salt this recipe calls for.
Although I haven't tested this cobbler recipe using dairy-free butter, I'm pretty confident that it will work. - buttermilk: If you don't have any buttermilk on hand, you can make a buttermilk substitute. Simply stir 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar into one cup of milk. Then, let it sit for 5 minutes, until the milk curdles.
- lemon juice: If you need a substitute, any citrus fruit will do the trick. The flavor of either lime juice or orange juice will taste great with the berries.
- vanilla extract: If you need an alcohol-free flavoring, you can use vanilla essence.
How to Make Berry Cobbler
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Make the filling. You can use fresh or frozen berries.
- Make the biscuit dough. Be sure the ingredients are very cold.
- Add the mixed berry filling to a greased 9-inch baking dish.
- Cover the filling with buttermilk biscuit dough.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown.
Liz's Tips for the Best Fruit Cobbler
- For the flakiest biscuits, be sure all of the ingredients are very cold. Also, avoid over mixing the dough. It's okay if the ball of dough isn't perfectly smooth- it should be a bit shaggy looking.
- To prevent a messy oven spill, set a foil-lined baking sheet on the oven rack underneath the cobbler.
- Fresh or frozen mixed berries may be used. If using frozen fruit, thaw it in a strainer before using. This will prevent the filling from being watery.
- For extra flavor, feel free to add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the berry filling.
Serving and Storing
Cobbler is a dessert traditionally served warm, and is best with vanilla ice cream on top!
Cover leftovers and keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
The baked and cooled dessert may be frozen for up to 2 months. Double wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, or keep in an airtight freezer-safe container.
Berry Cobbler Recipe FAQs
While cobblers, crumbles and crisps are all under the same dessert family, they are all not the same. The main difference is the style of the topping. Generally, cobblers have a biscuit topping, crisps have an oat streusel like topping, and crumbles have a crumb topping (made without oats).
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are all delicious in a mixed fruit cobbler.
The great thing about cobblers is that you can use any fruit you like or you have on hand. Feel free to use either frozen or fresh fruits, the result will be the same.
Add cornstarch to the fruit before baking to prevent a soggy cobbler.
Adding a thickener like cornstarch or tapioca flour to the fruit is what thickens it.
Other Easy Fruit Desserts
- Blueberry Coffee Cake
- Peach Cobbler for Two
- Raspberry Pound Cake
- Strawberry Cookies made with Cake Mix
Mixed Berry Cobbler
Ingredients
For the cobbler filling
- 6 cups mixed berries thawed if frozen
- 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice from 1 small lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
For the biscuit topping
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cold, cut into 12 small pieces
- ½ cup buttermilk cold, plus more for brushing over topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with butter or non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the berries, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Stir to combine, then add cornstarch and stir again. Set aside.
- To a separate large bowl, add flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add cold butter to the bowl. Using a pastry cutter or fork, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse grains of sand.
- Add buttermilk to the bowl. Working quickly, stir to incorporate, creating a shaggy dough (dough that barely holds together). *Do not over mix or the biscuit topping will be dry and crumbly.
- Transfer the filling to the prepared baking pan and use a rubber spatula to spread it out into an even layer. Arrange 6 chunks of biscuit dough evenly over the filling. Brush the dough with buttermilk.
- Bake cobbler in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until filling is bubbling and top is light golden brown.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- For the flakiest biscuit topping, be sure all of the ingredients are very cold. Also, avoid over mixing the dough. It's okay if the ball of dough isn't perfectly smooth- it should be a bit shaggy looking.
- To prevent a messy oven spill, set a foil-lined baking sheet on the oven rack underneath the cobbler.
- Fresh or frozen mixed berries may be used. If using frozen fruit, place in a strainer to thaw before using. This will prevent the filling from being watery.
- For extra flavor, feel free to add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the berry filling.
Shannon
So easy to throw together and tasty! I used up berries that weren’t very sweet and added peaches- combination worked well.
DIANA SIGETY
I've noticed that you have quite a lot of fruit recipes.
This is good 'cause I am allergic to CHOCOLATE!!
I really appreciate this.
PLUS they are so very GREAT 👍... THANKS 👍🙏 for all this.
Diana.