Magic Double Berry Coconut Cobbler

I have been craving something fruity and summery lately. I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted, but I knew I'd know it when I saw it. Then I went to the grocery store and they had the most beautiful blackberries. Now I don't buy blackberries very often because I rarely see them for less than $5 for a tiny 6 oz. container, but they were on sale for two bucks! I got two of them and some strawberries and I knew a cobbler was in our future. To really up the ante on my summer craving, I used coconut oil instead of butter. It added such a nice touch to the sweet berries and the crispy topping. It was the perfect thing to tide me over these last few days of winter.


Magic Double Berry Coconut Cobbler
Makes 9 servings

What I use:

• 1/2 c. coconut oil, melted*
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 c. almond milk (or regular milk)
• 1 c. blackberries, rinsed
• 1 c. strawberries, rinsed, tops cut off
• up to 1/4 c. additional sugar, optional

How I do it:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Prep your berries.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, 1 c. sugar, flour, baking powder and milk.

3. Pour the batter into a greased 8 x 8 baking dish.

4. Sprinkle the berries evenly over the batter. This is where the magic comes in - the berries will disappear under the batter when it all bakes up. Kids love this!

5. Sprinkle up to 1/4 cup sugar over everything.

6. Bake for 1 hour.

Let the cobbler cool for 15 minutes before digging in.

Serve warm or at room temperature. A scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream wouldn't hurt...

When the cobbler is still warm, the coconut is fairly assertive. I put the leftovers in the fridge and when I tried it the next day, the coconut had mellowed out and the berries had a stronger flavor. It was great both ways, but I think I preferred it cold.

* Coconut not your thing? Use butter instead. Or, if you want a less pronounced coconut flavor, you could do 1/4 c. melted butter and 1/4 c. coconut oil.

The family says:

• K ate the cake-like top, but left the berries in the bowl. He's not real big on berries.
• Andrew said it was really, really good and that the coconut flavor was perfect even on the first day when it was super-intense.
• I liked it better the days after when the coconut mellowed out some, but I simply could not stop eating this. Every time I opened the fridge, I snuck a bite or three. It was one of the best things I have ever baked.

Feel free to swap out the berries for peaches or any other fruit you love. What's your favorite kind of cobbler?