Blueberry Breakfast Cobbler
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A sure sign that life has become just a bit too busy has to be the moment when getting sick seems something like a possible vacation. None of us ever wish ourselves to be truly ill, but it seems I’ve contracted a chesty coughing virus that requires me to stop everything and rest. Resting, and its distant cousin, relaxing, are a decidedly foreign concept in my life, so having it imposed upon me, is, dare I say it, a rather appealing prospect.
And here’s the bonus… it’s fall and chilly and it just started raining and I can’t think of anything better right now than curling up with a cup of tea, a cozy blanket and a pile of food magazines and cookbooks that I’ve not had the time to peruse. And being a bit under the weather affords me an excuse to do just that, minus the guilt that might normally accompany such behavior. I know myself well enough to know that the minute I’m feeling even the slightest bit better I’ll be up and working my way down the chore list once again. But for now, I get to indulge a bit and it’s kinda nice.
And speaking of nice, how about some scrumptious blueberry breakfast cobbler? (shameless seamless segue into today’s post)…
Actually, this cobbler was way beyond just nice. It was so awesome and so delicious and just so right and exactly what I was hoping for on the morning in question, in which I had blueberries and was wanting something like coffee cake but not really wanting anything sweet and cake-y. I was looking for something a bit more rustic and earthy so I grabbed a blueberry coffee cake recipe, left out the eggs, did a little layering, and what resulted was exactly what I was hoping for…something more related to a cobbler (which I am choosing to call it); a bit biscuit-y but still moist and oh so very good. This rarely happens when I’m in the kitchen first thing in the morning, which makes this cobbler all the more miraculous.
And who doesn’t love cobbler for breakfast? But if baking first thing in the a.m. isn’t your deal (it really isn’t mine either), this can be assembled the night (or day) before and baked off in the morning, which qualifies it for rock star cobbler status around here.
In the meantime, it’s still raining. I’m going to go make some chicken soup and then it’s back to the couch. My chore list for the day says “rest”, and I’m feeling very productive.
Update to the above which was written several days ago… I'm so over the whole resting thing. I’ve had enough rest to last me for the next decade, and yet, curiously, am still enjoying the company of this virus which the doc assures me will be with me for a few more days yet. To cheer myself up, I’m making a blueberry cobbler for breakfast. Here’s the recipe…
Blueberry Breakfast Cobbler
Click here for a printable recipe
This wonderful breakfast treat is loaded with blueberry goodness and has a slightly crunchy top from the sprinkling of raw sugar. The recipe calls for fresh blueberries, but if you all you have are frozen, no worries, just thaw them before using.If you'd like to assemble the whole thing the night before. Just get it all put together, stick it in the fridge and bake it off first thing. If it's still chilled from the fridge, it only takes 5 minutes longer in the oven.
You will need 3 bowls (1 largish, 1 medium and 1 smallish) and a 9-inch baking dish
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature
zest from 1 large lemon (optional, but yummy)
7/8 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries (see headnote)
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon raw sugar for sprinkling on top
Preheat the oven to 350º F
Grease a 9” square baking dish
1. In the large-ish bowl, cream together the butter, lemon zest and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the buttermilk.
2. Place the blueberries in the small-ish bowl and toss with a tablespoon or so of sugar. Set aside.
3. Place the 2 cups of flour in the medium bowl. (If using thawed, frozen berries, remove 1tablespoon of the flour and add it to the blueberries in the small-ish bowl and toss those together to coat the blueberries.)
4. Add the baking powder and salt to the flour in the medium bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Stir to combine. The batter will be fairly stiff.
5. Spread ½ of the batter into the prepared pan and then top that with the blueberries. Using your fingers, place the rest of the batter on top, doing your best to cover the blueberries, but it’s OK if there are gaps. (If the dough seems too sticky, I dip my fingers in flour). Sprinkle the top of the batter with the raw sugar.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top begins to brown ever so slightly (you don’t want the top to get very brown). Let cool briefly before serving. Note: in my oven it takes 45 minutes to bake perfectly; 50 minutes if it's still a little chilled from the fridge.
