Crockpot (Slow Cooker) Cobbler

So you want to make a cobbler, but do not want to heat up the whole oven just for a small dessert or maybe you already have a main course in the oven and the cooking temperatures for cooking both are simply not compatible. Enter the crockpot or slow cooker to the rescue. Yes, you can make a delicious fruit cobbler using your slow cooker and it it super easy and the resulting cobbler is moist and delicious. Now for the caviet, we have several slow cookers including both the oval and round styles. Oval slow cookers tend to have more surface space and are not as tall as a traditional round slow cooker. I have only make this recipe in my oval slow cooker, but you should not have any problems using a round one.

If this example I have used some pears that I canned in 2013 that I had sitting on my pantry shelves compliments of a couple of pear trees we have on the property. However if you substitute just about any fruit with this recipe. I have made it with pears, peaches, apples and blackberries and they all come out great. This is my 'go to' cobbler recipe, it is fast and easy batter style cobbler that when baked in the oven or the crockpot becomes golden brown with a crunchy top (due to the sprinkled sugar). Anyway, I am sure both you and your family will love it, mine does!

Pear Cobbler (The Slow Cooker Version)

1 quart or (29oz) can of pears or other fruit

1 ¼ cups Sugar

1 cup Self-Rising Flour

1 cup Milk

¼ cup pecans

¼ cup raisins

1 stick Butter

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Melt butter in a microwavable dish.

Combine 1 cup of the sugar and flour into a mixing bowl and mix throughly, then add the milk and stir with a spoon or whisking making a thin batter. Then add the melted butter and stir again until well combined.

Chef's Note: I do not keep self rising flour in my pantry, but I made my own by adding 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of flour.

 

Spray the crock of your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray, then drain the canned pears in a colander and add them to the baking dish. Take 2 tablespoons from the remaining sugar and combine with the cinnamon and mix well. Add the sugar and cinnamon mixture to the pears and mix thoroughly. Add the pecans and raisins and mix again.

Chef's Note: Fruits packed in light, thin syrups should be drained if you do not want your cobbler to be to wet. For fruits in heavy thick syrups, empty the whole can in the slow cooker. Drain the store bought fruit the same as you would home canned fruit. You may want to reserve ¼ cup of the liquid just in case you think the fruit is two dry, but I have never had to do this. If you use store bought canned pie filling (apple, peach, cherry etc...) do not drain the fruit.

Pour the batter over the fruit (pears, apples, peaches) in the baking dish, and sprinkle a few pecans and extra raisins on top of the batter, then spread the remaining sugar evenly over the top of the batter. Then sprinkle an additional teaspoon of sugar over the top of the cobbler. Set your crockpot or slow cooker on high, and cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours, or until golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.

Conclusion

Making cobbler's in your slow cooker is a great way to use less energy by not heating up the whole oven. It does take about twice the cooking time as a cobbler cooked in a conventional oven, but you can essentially set it and forget it. The great this about this recipe is that it can be used with just about any fruit, but it is especially great with peaches. In the following picture, I used one (29oz) cans of sliced peaches in heavy syrup (did not drain). I just dumped it in the crockpot and poured the batter on top, no raisins or pecans (simply because I was out of them).

So if your family loves cobbler, grab your slow cooker and make a quick and easy cobbler that your family will love. I guarantee you that this recipe is simple and just about foolproof. So get off the couch and make a fruit cobbler for your family, but don't forget the ice cream! And as always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us on friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

BlackBerry Cobbler

Two years ago we planted four Kiowa Blackberry bushes along the fence row in the garden here on the homestead. This year we harvested over 2 gallons of blackberries and well as transplanting fourteen new plants from our original four mother plants. These blackberries are huge, some as large as my thumb, they are juicy and somewhat tart when eaten alone, but they make great jellies, pies and cobblers.

If you read my article on 'Rabbit Salad' then you know that a few weeks ago we celebrated a couple of birthdays with or dear friends. While they provided most of the cold buffet and all of the hospitality, we brought the 'Rabbit Salad' (chicken salad made with rabbit) and I made this Blackberry Cobbler because it is one of Sue's favorites. These berries were picked fresh this summer and frozen in one gallon zip lock bags so if you do not have access to fresh blackberries, the frozen ones you find in your local supermarket will work just as well.

Blackberry Cobbler

3 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup milk

1 stick butter (melted)

Melt butter in a microwavable dish.

Combine 1 cup of the sugar and flour into a mixing bowl and mix throughly, then add the milk and stir with a large spoon or whisking making a thin batter. Then add the melted butter and stir again until well combined. Chef's Note: I do not keep self rising flour in my pantry, but I made my own by adding 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of flour.

Spray a 10-inch square corning ware baking dish with non-stick cooking spray or rub the sides and bottom with a stick of butter to prevent the cobbler from sticking. If you do not have a 10-inch baking dish, a 8 or 9-inch glass pie plate or corning ware dish will work as well. If you use a bigger baking dish your cobbler may be too thin and could burn. Rinse the blackberries in a colander and pat dry. Then remove two cups of the berries and place them in your baking dish and add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and mix together.

Spread the sugared blackberries evenly as possible over the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the batter over the blackberries in the baking dish, then the remaining cup of blackberries and evenly distribute them over the top of the batter slightly pushing them into the batter. Next, spread the remaining sugar evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. If you desire, sprinkle an additional one to two teaspoons of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done.

Conclusion

Blackberry cobbler is great served hot with vanilla ice cream. In this case we had to re-heat it and then serve it with ice cream, but it was still fantastic. This recipe is quick, easy and tastes delicious. There is not really much more you can say about it. You may note that this recipe is similar to the 'Pear Cobbler' that I posted in an earlier article. The batter is the same, but the fruit is treated a little different. This recipe is better for small berries such as blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries or a combination of the three. If you have larger fruit such as pears, apples, or peaches then follow the instructions for my pear cobbler. 

As always, I hope you and your family will enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Additional Resources

Pear Cobbler

Pear Cobbler

We have a couple of pear trees on my mother-in-laws property and a couple of years ago I canned a few quarts, and made about 12 gallons of pear wine. No one is quite sure of the variety of the pear, they look like Bosc pears but even when they are ripe, they are quite firm of flesh. They are what my grandmother used to call canning pears. So that is what I do with them most of the time. The one thing they do excel at, other than making pear wine, is make exceptional pear cobbler. So today I wanted to share with you my cobbler recipe.

If you do not like pears, simply substitute peaches or apples. This recipe is fast and easy, it is a batter style cobbler that when baked becomes golden brown with a crunchy top (due to the sprinkled sugar). Anyway, I saure both you and your family will love it, mine does!

Pear Cobbler

1 quart (32oz) canned pears or one 29oz can fruit for the grocery store.

1 ¼ cups Sugar

1 cup Self-Rising Flour *

1 cup Milk

¼ cup pecans

¼ cup raisins

1 stick Butter

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

* Chef's Note: Grandma used to use self rising flour in her recipe, but I do not generally keep it in my pantry. You can do like I did and make your own self rising flour by combining 1 cup AP flour, with 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Melt butter in a microwavable dish.

Combine 1 cup of the sugar and flour into a mixing bowl and mix throughly, then add the milk and stir with a spoon or whisking making a thin batter. Then add the melted butter and stir again until well combined.

Spray a square baking dish (8”x8”) with non-stick cooking spray, then drain the canned pears in a colander and add them to the baking dish. Take 2 tablespoons from the remaining sugar and combined with the cinnamon. Add he sugar and cinnamon mixture to the pears and mix throughly. Add the pecans and raisins and mix again.

Pour the batter over the pears in the baking dish, and sprinkle a few pecans and extra raisins on top of the batter, then spread the remaining sugar evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. If you desire, sprinkle an additional teaspoon of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done. 

Conclusion

The only way I like to eat pears is either baked in a pie or cobbler. They lose their grainy texture when baked and I am a big texture eater. When baked in this cobbler the texture and taste is very similar to an apple, and who wouldn't like apple cobbler. The great this about this recipe is that it can be used with just about any fruit, but it is especially great with peaches. My blackberry cobbler uses the same batter and technique, but is slightly different, and I will be posting it soon.

I hope you will take the time to make a peach, apple, blackberry or even a pear cobbler for your family, but don't forget the ice cream! And as always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us on friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.