A favorite dessert featured at a local steakhouse inspired me to develop this strawberry cobbler recipe. The restaurant rotated cobbler flavors depending on what fruits were in season. The summertime strawberry one was always number one for me. Served warm in individual stoneware dishes with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, this old-fashioned dessert is something I’ve been craving for the longest time, especially since the restaurant no longer makes cobblers.

I started testing out this recipe a few months ago and have mastered what I think is the perfect strawberry cobbler. My recipe is not too sweet or overly caloric for a dessert, especially when compared to some cobbler recipes which can often have surprisingly high amounts of sugar and butter.

When I started researching cobbler recipes, I knew my final version would cut back these ingredients because strawberries would take center stage. Strawberries are naturally sweet on their own, so there’s no reason to go overboard with the sugar. Plus, you can’t forget the final ta-da with a dollop or vanilla ice cream or whipped cream that adds the perfect note of sweetness to top off the cobbler!

Cake- vs. Biscuit-Style Cobblers

Cobblers weren’t something I remember having often growing up. Apparently, being from New England, cobblers are typically made with a biscuit-like topping.

Years ago, I started researching recipes for cobblers and my first place to look was my grandmother’s trusty The Grange Cookbook: Desserts, Including Party Beverages cookbook. Whenever I’m looking for something that’s an old-time nostalgic dessert, I’ll find authentic recipes here. However, when I looked up fruit cobblers, all were made with biscuit toppings.

That was before I realized there were two kinds of cobbler toppings. I tried a few biscuit topping recipes, and found myself thinning out the batter with milk. While they came out pretty well, they just didn’t quite hit the mark. If had I only known to look up Southern-inspired or cakey cobblers instead. Until this year, when I decided to recreate the flavors of the fondly remembered strawberry cobbler!

Cobblers, Crisps and Buckles – Oh My!

I find that there’s some confusion between fruit crisps or cobblers and other baked fruit desserts. While all are delicious, they’re all a bit different. Besides the cake-like vs. biscuit topped cobblers, based on my research, here’s a quick assessment of a few:

• Crisps typically have a streusel-like topping made with oats and sometimes nuts or both.
• Crumbles are similar to crisps without the oats or nuts.
• Buckles are made with a cake batter and usually have a crumble topping.

Of course, the caveat here is that these recipes can vary by region or cherished family recipes! Here’s a summary from Eater that describes baked fruit desserts including pandowdy, betty, grunt, slump and sonker. Not to be missed is the French clafouti with a custard-like batter. It’s a simple and elegant dessert I’ve enjoyed over the years (and lower on carbs than most baked fruit desserts!). Maybe it’s something for another day … and another blog!

Hope you enjoy this recipe inspired by a memory! While cooking, it will make your kitchen smell so good. When served warmed with ice cream, it’s really comfort food nirvana! Enjoy!

Check out some of my other favorite baking recipes! Click over to my Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies and Irish soda bread blog posts.

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