Strawberry Cobbler.

Jump to Recipe· 3.5 from 2 reviews

This Strawberry Cobbler is a summer time comfort food classic. With juicy ripe strawberries baked together with a buttery biscuit-like cake batter, it's perfect served warm with a cold scoop of ice cream.

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Perfect Strawberry Cobbler

It is speculated that the name "cobbler" may have originated from its resemblance to the uneven cobbled streets of the past. Whenever I bake a cobbler and see its appearance, I am reminded of this because it does in fact look like cobbled streets (if cobbled streets had jammy strawberries underneath them.

This classic American dessert is just the thing to make when you've got a some strawberries that really need to get used up, and may even be past their prime.

This rustic and homey dessert features a buttery, biscuit-like cake baked up together with juicy strawberries to make for the perfect summer dessert. The dessert is assembled in layers, that then transform in the oven. It's like a cross between a cake, a dutch baby, and a pie and it's just so delicious.

So, let's get to making it, shall we? The text below offers tons of tips and helpful notes, or you can scroll to the bottom to grab the recipe and get started!

Strawberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

But first, what is a cobbler?

There is much controversy as to what actually constitutes a cobbler, and it will change depending on what region or state you are in in the US. A cobbler at it's very basic is a fruit dessert baked with some type of pastry made from butter, flour, and sugar.

Cobblers have been around since the 1800s (see more history here) and like many early desserts of this country, they were made out of whatever Americans had on hand. A cobbler is thought to have been a pie variation, so this fits in nicely here on this website.

Variations of Cobblers

Among the different types of cobblers you might see recipes for: cobbler with a biscuit topping, with a crisp topping, or in the case here, with more of a cake topping. Let's just agree that nearly all cobbler variations are likely delicious, but I've decided that for this strawberry cobbler, the best and most delicious path forward was to enrobing the sugared strawberries in a semi-delicate almond cake batter.

It bakes up with both crispy edges, soft pillowy cake batter, and jammy fruit. While I'm a fan of all cobblers I've met along the way, this recipe is not one to miss.

Ingredients Needed

ripe strawberries (see more on that below)
granulated sugar
unsalted butter
all-purpose flour
baking powder
salt
lemon juice
buttermilk
vanilla extract
almond extract (this can be omitted if need be for allergies)

Let's Talk Strawberries

Many of us have access to strawberries year round. Depending on your eating philiosphy, you might find this to be a good thing or a bad thing.

However, we all know that out-of-season strawberries, which have traveled long distances from big agri-farms, are distinctively different from locally grown and harvested in-season berries.

When it comes to in-season strawberries, local varieties tend to be smaller in size, but pack so much more flavor in. The sweetness may vary depending on the local climate during the growing season.

This recipe is good for both fresh in-season berries, but because of the long bake time, it's okay to use less-than-ideal grocery store strawberries, or even berries that are very close to be too ripe.

Adding butter to the baking dish for strawberry cobbler.

Best Way to Clean Strawberries

The best way to wash strawberries is to fill up a very big bowl full of cold water. Add a few big glugs of distilled white vinegar. The exact solution is supposed to be 1 parts vinegar to 3 parts water, but I usually eyeball it. The acidity in the vinegar helps break down the dirt and any possible pesticides on the surface of the fruit. It also has some mild antibacterial properties which can help prolong the life of the strawberry.

Here's a helpful hint: if you're using fresh strawberries immediately, it's best to remove the green tops before washing them. This is because a significant amount of dirt, bugs, and debris can be found in the leafy greens. By removing them before washing, you'll save yourself the stop of washing them.

Add the strawberries into the water/vinegar solution and give the strawberries a good swish around. Then let them sit for a few minutes, but no more than five.

Don't pour the strawberries out, instead, pick the strawberries out with your hands from the water, working not to disturb any of the dirt / debris that has fallen off and sunk to the bottom of the bowl. Then transfer the strawberries to a strainer. Rinse them well, and then place them on a lint-free towel to dry off.

How to Make Strawberry Cobbler

Honestly, it couldn't be easier to make this recipe! There are three small steps needed to make this recipe including:

Prepare the strawberries with a quick maceration in sugar
Mix together the very quick and simple cake batter
Melt the butter
And finally, layering in the butter, cake batter, and the strawberries in the baking dish and baking.

The whole thing bakes up together, with the cake batter baking up around the berries to form the actual look of a cobbled street! How cool is that?

What Baking Tin to Use

This recipe is flexible in terms of the baking dish used.

A 2-quart baking dish is best (or roughly 8 cups). This is typically a 7x11" baking dish, or similar.

If you didn't have a 2-quart baking dish, you can bake this in a 9x13, but it will be thinner, and likely cook quicker. So check in on it after 35-40 minutes.

How to Serve It

If you ask me, there is only one way to serve cobbler: slightly warm with a big scoop of ice cream on top. It's a magical combination that simply can't be beaten. Let the cobbler cool just slightly, scoop it into a bowl, and top with cold vanilla ice cream.

It's heaven.

Strawberry Cobbler FAQs

Please find some common questions about making a peach cobbler below. If you have a question that isn't answered here, please feel free to leave a comment I'll be sure to answer it and include it here!

Why do you have to layer the butter, batter and strawberries?

This is quite simply how the magic of this cobbler happens! During the process of baking, the layers bake up to form the "cobbled" look of this dish. This baking process is similar to how a "dump cake" recipe works!

Can you use frozen strawberries?

Yes! Let the strawberries defrost (don't drain the liquid) with the sugar in the bowl, as instructed in the recipe. If possible, cut in half or quarters.

Do you have to cut the berries?

Nope. I prefer to quarter or half the strawberries for ease of eating it, but if you'd like to keep them whole, feel free to do so.

I don't have buttermilk, what can it be replaced with?

Buttermilk is used here to mimic some of the classic taste of a biscuit. But it's not essential, you can replace it with whole milk. Or make your own faux-buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to whole milk and letting it sit for 10 minutes. Or you can thin out some greek yogurt and use that.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Sadly no. I recommend eating and making this dish fresh. It is just at it's absolute best served warm from the oven. It can reheat, but it really doesn't taste the same the next day.

Strawberry cobbler in a bowl with a scoop of ice cream.

More Summer Fruit Recipes:

I am so honored when you make a recipe from my site! If you make this Strawberry Cobbler, please leave a comment and a star rating with your experience! If you have any questions about this recipe, feel free to comment here, too!

Full Recipe

Strawberry Cobbler

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

3.5 from 2 reviews

Author: Kelli Avila
Prep Time: 00:15
Cook Time: 00:45
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: Serves 6-8
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

1 quart strawberries, washed, hulled, and halved or quartered
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 + 24 grams) granulated sugar, divided
1-¼ cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour
1-½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon (2 grams) coarse kosher salt (see note)
1-¼ cups (285 grams) buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon pure almond extract (optional)
10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter, diced

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375ºF and set aside a 2-quart 11x7" baking dish (see notes for alternatives).
Combine the prepared strawberries , lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl. Let sit while assembling the cobbler batter.
Add flour, remaining ¾ cup of sugar, baking powder and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add in the buttermilk, vanilla and almond extract and stir together until combined.
Melt the butter, and immediately pour it into the baking dish. Next, pour in the cobbler batter in the middle. Take a knife or spatula and swirl the butter around into the batter.
Scatter the strawberries and the juice evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake in the center of the oven for 45-55 minutes, or until the middle is bubbling and the top is lightly golden.
Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes, then serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Have a question or looking for tips? The text written above the recipe is always a great first place to start! This Strawberry Cobbler was developed with love, and I always include loads of explanations, tips, step-by-step photos and technical advice shared before the recipe.

Weighing your flour is the most accurate way to measure. If you aren't going to weigh it, make sure to spoon it into the cup, and then level it off. If you scoop the flour out with the measuring cup and then level, it could change the outcome of the final product.

This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt decrease by about half for volume, or use the same amount by weight.

This recipe fits a rough 2-quart baking dish, or roughly 8 cups. This is typically a 7x11" baking dish. If you didn't have a 2-quart baking dish, you can bake this in a 9x13, but it will be thinner, and likely cook quicker. So check in on it after 35-40 minutes.

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