This Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler has a tender buttermilk cake-like topping with a delicious, thick, and rich blueberry filling. We love the sprinkle of sugar on the slightly crisp top of the crust. This comforting dessert is a classic summer favorite and is always accompanied at our house with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
What we love about this Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler
This Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler is a summertime favorite. I love blueberry pretty much anything, and this cobbler is one of my favorites. The blueberry filling is thick, juicy, and rich with just a touch of lemon. To save time, you can mix the blueberries with sugar and lemon juice and bake them with the cobbler topping, but I like to cook them for a few minutes first to thicken the filling with a little cornstarch. The result is a beautiful, thicker, juicier filling that isn’t thin and runny with the topping.
I love the topping with the sweet blueberry filling. It has a tender cake-like crumb and a touch of vanilla and buttermilk that give the topping an extra bit of depth and flavor. I sprinkle it with a little sugar while baking so the top of the crust is slightly crisp and sweet. The combination of the topping and blueberry filling makes this cobbler a recipe I can guarantee you will want to make again. We always have ice cream with it to serve on top.
Looking for another summer dessert? Try our favorite Cream Cheese and Strawberry Pie, our Strawberry Glazed Pie, or our delicious Cherry and Cream Cheese Pie.
What you need to make this Blueberry Cobbler Recipe
You will need the following ingredients:
- Granulated sugar
- Cornstarch
- Blueberries
- Lemon juice
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter
- Egg
- Buttermilk
- Vanilla
- Optional: Vanilla ice cream
Blueberry Cobbler Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand, and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute it for homemade buttermilk made with milk and lemon juice or vinegar. I use 1 TB of lemon juice or vinegar for every 1 cup of milk. You could also use plain yogurt in place of buttermilk (not Greek yogurt).
- You can use frozen blueberries, but they will release more juice, so I would add a bit more cornstarch to thicken the filling or thaw them before using.
- If you don’t want to add any vanilla flavor to the topping, you can omit it, use almond extract, or a combination of the two.
- You could use flour instead of cornstarch to thicken the filling.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a medium-sized pot, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the blueberries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. The blueberries will start to release their juices and the filling will gradually thicken. Boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and pour into a 2-quart pan.
Step 2. In a medium-sized bowl or food processor, whisk or pulse together briefly the flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. If using a food processor, add the butter and pulse several times until the butter is blended with the flour and it looks like coarse meal, or bits of dough scattered throughout that look like small peas. Don’t over-process. If not using a food processor, cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with two knives until the butter is mixed with the flour and it looks like coarse meal.
Step 3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla and buttermilk. Gently mix together the wet and dry ingredients for the topping until just incorporated. The dough will be slightly lumpy. Don’t overmix.
Step 4. Drop large tablespoons of the topping onto the hot blueberries. Don’t spread the topping out evenly.
Step 5. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar over the topping. Continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Cover the pan with foil 5-10 minutes early if necessary to prevent excessive browning. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Tips
- This recipe calls for a 2 quart pan. I use a 9 inch square or round baking pan, but you can also use a 11 x 7 inch pan. An 8 inch pan can work, but the blueberry mixture gets close to overflowing when baking. I love USA Pan Bakeware, this is the 9×9 pan that I use and it gives great results every time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
| Can Blueberry Cobbler be made in advance? |
| a. Cobbler is best served the day it is made, warm and fresh from the oven. You could make the blueberry mixture the day before if necessary if stored covered in the fridge, but I would remove it from the fridge and keep it at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to baking. You may need to add an additional 5 minutes or so to your baking time as well. The texture of the topping may change once mixed so I would make the topping just before baking. |
| How to store and reheat Blueberry Cobbler? |
| a. Once the cobbler has cooled to room temperature, store it covered in the fridge. The cobbler will last about 3 days in the fridge. b. You can freeze fruit cobbler for up to 3 months and thaw it overnight in the fridge before warming to eat. c. The oven is the best way to reheat the cobbler as it distributes heat evenly. Reheat the cobbler at 300 degrees for 10-20 minutes to warm before serving. For individual slices you can reheat in the microwave in 20 second intervals until warm. |
Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler
6
servings25
minutes35
minutes1
hourThis Old-Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler has a tender buttermilk cake-like topping with a delicious, thick, and rich blueberry filling. We love the sprinkle of sugar on the slightly crisp top of the crust. This comforting dessert is a classic summer favorite and is always accompanied at our house with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
Blueberry Filing:
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
6 cups blueberries
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
Topping:
1 ½ cups flour
⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, cut into
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Optional: Vanilla ice cream for serving
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium-sized pot, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the blueberries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. The blueberries will start to release their juices, and the filling will gradually thicken. Boil for one minute. Remove from the heat and pour into a 2-quart pan. (I use a 9-inch square or round baking pan, but you can also use an 11 x 7-inch pan. An 8-inch pan can work, but the blueberry mixture gets close to overflowing when baking.)
- In a medium-sized bowl or food processor, whisk or pulse together briefly the flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. If using a food processor, add the butter and pulse several times until the butter is blended with the flour and it looks like coarse meal, or bits of dough scattered throughout that look like small peas. Don’t over-process. If not using a food processor, cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or with two knives until the butter is mixed with the flour and it looks like coarse meal, or bits of dough scattered throughout look like small peas.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, and buttermilk. Gently mix together the wet and dry ingredients for the topping until just incorporated. The dough will be slightly lumpy. Don’t overmix.
- Drop large tablespoons of the topping onto the hot blueberries. Don’t spread the topping out evenly.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar over the topping. Continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Cover the pan with foil 5-10 minutes early if necessary to prevent excessive browning. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Notes
- To save time, you can mix the blueberries with sugar and lemon juice and bake them with the cobbler topping, but I like to cook them for a few minutes first to thicken the filling with a little cornstarch. The result is a beautiful, thicker, juicier filling that isn’t thin and runny with the topping.
- To make more of a biscuit-like topping, drop the amount of butter to 1/3 cup and the cream to 1/4 cup.
- This recipe calls for a 2 quart pan. I use a 9 inch square or round baking pan, but you can also use a 11 x 7 inch pan. An 8 inch pan can work, but the blueberry mixture gets close to overflowing when baking.
- You can make this with 5-6 cups of blueberries, but I prefer the larger amount of blueberries for more blueberry filling with the topping.
Yum! Blueberries just came back into season here so I can’t wait to make this!
Thank you! I love berry desserts this time of year! I appreciate you stopping by and for your great feedback!
That golden, sugar-sprinkled topping sounds like pure heaven! And paired with vanilla ice cream? I must try this!
Thank you so much! We love that topping with the blueberry filling. Thanks for the kind feedback and for taking the time to look at my recipe!
This is sooooo good warm with a scoop of ice cream! So much blueberry goodness!
Thank you! It really is such a great summer treat, and absolutely with a scoop of ice cream! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and check it out!
This cobbler had the perfect texture combinations. The top was nice and crispy, while the berries were smooth. It was so delightful.
This makes me so happy to hear! We really love this cobbler, both the topping and the berries. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know Stephanie!