Blackberry cobbler can be made in a baking dish, a cast iron pan, or even in mason jars.
The mason jars are perfect for picnics or school lunches, but I tend to bake in jars when I only want to make four servings or when I only have a handful of fruit. One of the best advantages in using mason jars is portion control, which could be really necessary because this is my best cobbler to date.
I love blackberries and for a fruit that isn’t very sweet, it’s surprising that I’m not alone. I understand my own persona obsession with the deep, rich, purple black, textured, plump, juicy berry. And the fact that they are so hard to gather up just adds to their value.
The wild blackberry bushes have thorns like knives and have taken my blood on more than one occasion. Thornless blackberry bushes do exist, but even then, if you go picking, you have to worry about snakes. My food blogger friend, Teresa, tells her story about a snake in the blackberry bush and she also shares a gorgeous blackberry upside down cake.
I’ve written and rewritten this post several times, because I have something I’m compelled to write about, yet I’ve battled the fear of exposing too much. I’ve deleted and come back again, and deleted again and shut my computer. I keep returning to this though, and I’ve decided to just be who I am, for better or for worse.
Did you ever notice that sometimes good things are hard to get and you have to fight for them? Or that in order to get to them, you have to put up with thorns and snakes or something equally difficult. It’s the way of the world.
My husband has had to deal with Retro Rose as his mother in law in order to have me as his wife. Oh, she loves him dearly, and he has probably done more for her than for his own mother. She lives right down the street and she calls my husband more than she calls me for all sorts of problem solving, feud settling, fire squelching reasons. It’s always funny in hindsight, and her good food and her prayers are the benefits we get to enjoy along with the thorns.
Then there are other difficult relationships, those with friends, co-workers, and neighbors. I have had my challenges this year with people who I thought were my friends, who turned around and did things very hurtful, treacherous and premeditated. I’ve experienced betrayal up close and personal.
It will take a long long time to get past this experience. It’s not so much how it has affected my life, as it is that knowing that people are capable and willing to harm others, seeking to destroy instead of build.
This experience has jolted me so much that while I know I will forgive, I will never forget this experience. The psychologist in me says there is something in that person that needs healing and it’s big, deep and ugly. It’s always sad because people that rage and lash out to hurt others have usually been hurt at a very young age, possibly pre-verbal, and live their life seeing their perpetrator in everyone else, all the while destroying good friendships and family.
I believe in the power of redemption. I believe that the best way we can fight evil and the devil in this world is to walk in love, to aim every day to reconcile our differences, to forgo pride, shave off our own flaws, to muster up the stamina that it takes to forgive.
The Christian part of me says there is an answer to this and it lies in the redemptive power of Christ, that people’s wounds can be healed, that we are all capable of being snakes, and it’s only God that lifts us to a better place.
My God tells me to pray for my enemies, and bless those who curse me. My God says that love never fails. But, the bible also promises us a difficult road in this life, one which many battles to fight, many hills to climb and that climbing then alone is foolish. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, his reply was to love one another. He knew this was the hardest thing to walk out, so He made himself an example of that love. We fail miserably in our own lives. Most people reading this have some deep wounds not yet healed, caused by another person.
How do we risk relationships and get the blackberry without yet another trickle of blood from a thorn or a snake bite?
I pondered this early in life. Man’s inhumanity to man was a year long discussion in my ninth grade humanities class. I didn’t get it. I do now.
I think we need to have this discussion and work inside of our hearts to understand that it’s a master plan of the enemy, and it’s the very reason we have and need a Savior.
We need to have this talk with our children so they don’t turn into bullies, and we need to contain, and control our own anger so that our children are not learning rage and revenge as a way of life. We need to model love, emotional resolve and stamina.
I feel so powerless in this area, if not for a God who can help me. Perhaps, you consider yourself not very religious, and this sounds foreign. But, it’s still my observation that those who don’t believe in God, do believe in love, and as trite as that sounds, love is our best weapon of protection.
Tell me, did I hit a nerve? I don’t know, but I hit plenty of mine.
These are half pint wide mouthed jars. I filled them about an inch and half from the beginning of the jar lid area. This is fine if you’re not going to freeze them. If you plan on freezing them, only fill half way because you have to allow an inch of free space between the cobbler and lid, once baked.
The cobble rose nearly an inch during the baking process. Keep that in mind if you want to add in ice cream.
This recipe is a lot different from my peach cobbler, which was made with more of a biscuit flavor and buttermilk. This is much more simple and amazing with ice cream. You can make any fruit cobbler with this recipe.
You might like this new summer fruit recipe.
Summer Fruit Sheet Pan Pie
More Cobbler Recipes
More Blackberry Recipes
Blackberry Cobbler in Mason Jars or Cast Iron
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cups sugar more if you like super sweet, up to a 1/3 cup more
- 1 cup milk
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 tablespoon each of extra flour and sugar
- 2 cups of blackberries can use frozen or fresh
- 6 half pint mason jars 6 baking dessert cups, baking dish or medium sized cast iron pan
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- If fruit is frozen, defrost at room temperature.
- Preheat oven at 375 degreed F. 190 C.
- Spray mason jars, or baking dishes with cooking spray.
- Toss fruit with one tablespoon sugar if needed.
- Toss fruit with 1 tablespoon flour. Set Fruit aside.
- Mix together flour, salt, sugar, baking powder.
- Whisk in milk.
- Pour in melted butter and stir.
- If using mason jars, pour 1/3 cup or no more than half full of batter, followed by two tablespoons of fruit.
- If using cast iron pan, spray pan, and put all of the batter into it. Top with fruit.
- For 1/2 pint mason jars, bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown,
- For cast iron pan, bake approximately 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.
Please follow me on instagram. If you make this recipe, please tag me #spinachtiger.
If you love this recipe, please give it five stars. It means a lot. xoxo
Thank you for your vulnerability with this post. I know it was written some time ago, but it is just as relevant if not more today. Never give up or in – Keep your eyes focused on Jesus the author and perfect of our faith, who thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross. Think of everything he went through and how little in comparison we have had to face.
On another note – I’m getting ready to make these and needed a good recipe. Thank you!!
HI, how long does peach cobbler stay good when made in small mason jars? Do you have to refrigerate or can you leave out at room temp.
I would keep it refrigerated for a few days.
The picture has blueberries not blackberries.
I love this post. I felt as if I could have written it myself we are so of the same Spirit.looking forward to trying the cobbler with some friends.
Thank you for this–both the recipe and the commentary. I needed to see this today, as I’m dealing with a thorny person. I’m trying to live out Romans 12, and it gets challenging. Blackberry cobbler will sweeten my day!
Can you use canned pie filling? Also, how long will they keep? Do you refrigerate?
it is a cold day where I live and I found some good blackberries at the store…went searching for a good recipe and this one for cobbler in mason jars/cast iron looks wonderful. I can imagine the aroma even now! Your post on redemption is spot on. I am thankful you took a chance at transparency and shared your heart and your faith. It is an excellent analogy of thorns of life…some so sharp and painful that they take our breath away at times. And love is always the answer…love in the form of forgiveness, love in the form of hugs, love in the form of giving up the need to hurt back..love in the understanding of others pain… You have given others a way to healing…May blessings follow you and chase you down!
hey awesome recipe. just wanted to know whats the shelf life? please revert back.
What is the shelf life on this if you actually do in mason jar and can it?
Kathryn, I’m not sure on that. I don’t “can” officially. But, I have placed my mason jars desserts in the freezer for long periods of time. Make sure there is at least an inch of free space, though, so they don’t crack. I do that a lot with cake.
That way there is always a dessert in the house.
These yummies in a jar look divine, I’m hungry just looking at them! It’s going to be hard for me to eat just 1… maybe I need a big mason jar full! 🙂
Pam, It was hard for me to eat just one too.
Does your website have a contact page? I’m having trouble locating it but, I’d like to shoot you an email.
I’ve got some creative ideas for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great site and I look forward to seeing it expand over time.
I might be crazy…but I don’t see any milk on the ingredients list, and yet the second direction is to whisk in the milk. Am I just not seeing it somewhere?
So sorry. I just edited recipe and added in the milk.
I don’t see butter on the recipe list either
I’m not sure what you mean. There is melted butter in the recipe.
I love how there are true principles demonstrated all around us in the world, like in the thorns on blackberries. I get what you’re saying about the meanness in the world. I was just on Facebook the other day watching a verbal war and then got a kind of discouraging text message, and together they made me think how everybody’s just selfish and needs Jesus. I’m selfish and I need Jesus. It’s good of Him to give us blackberries, so good and juicy and tart, but surround them by thorns—a visual demonstration of the fact that in this world there is always joy and sorrow, heartbreak and beauty, hand in hand and side by side.
Blackberries have thorns too and you’ve learned to look past them. These hurts will fade and you will be stronger. XOGREG
Also I meant to say thank you for mentioning me in your post.
Angela, this is a great post in many ways. I am not a typically religious person but I do believe in redemption and love as to me those things are human traits if we just open ourselves to them. I also believe in the power of sharing with others whether it be stories, art, food or time. I also believe in the redemptive powers of beauty in all it natural outlets.You have shared with us some lovely, delicious little bites in jars that are uniquely “Angela” and I thank you. They are beautiful. They make me feel better just looking at them.