Easy Fruit Cobbler

A basic recipe that can be adapted for most any fruit. :) Great for fruit that's past its prime, or even fruit that's under-ripe.

The topping is a bit like if a sugar cookie mated with a biscuit. It's delicious. It soaks up the juices but still stays firm, even after a couple of days in the fridge.

For fruit mixture:

• 1/4-1/2 cup white sugar (depends on your preference and the sweetness of the fruit - I use more for apples, for example, and less for strawberries)
• 3-4 cups diced fruit (apples, plums, pears, berries of all kinds)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp desired spice - cinnamon and cardamom go well with most fruit
• up to 2 tbsp cornstarch (the juicier a fruit is, the more you use. using 2 tbs all the time is not a bad idea. :D)

For the topping:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla, optional

You'll bake the cobbler in a 9x9 pan, preferably glass, ceramic or enamel coated. Metal can sometimes burn the sugars! It'll be baked at 350 F for 35 minutes.

I try to dice mine so they cook more evenly. No more than 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces, in most cases.

Try to get a minimum of 3 cups of fruit, though 4 cups is better because it'll cook down a bit!

Use any mixture you like - this time I'm using strawberries, blackberries and apples. Apples are a great filler and go well with most anything, so if you're low on something else, chuck in an apple. :D

Fruits that work well:

• pears
• plums (soooo good, even when they're not quite ripe!)
• apples
• peaches
• berries of any kind
• mangoes

I'm using nearly 1/2 cup of sugar and the full 2 tbsp of cornstarch to coat these with. If you're using spice, add it now. :)

Put your fruit in the pan you'll be baking in, put in the amount of sugar and cornstarch you want, and mix well your your hands until everything is wet. You don't want any sugar or cornstarch sitting on the bottom of the pan dry and lonely.

Preheat your oven to 350 F. :)

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt with a fork. Then put in the butter cubes and cut them into the flour with your fork. This will take a couple minutes, and when it's done, the mixture should look nice and crumbly like in the fourth photo. You want all the butter to be broken down and coated in flour.

Then, beat an egg and add it in along with your milk.

Stir the mixture together until just combined and you have no dry ingredients floating around.

You should probably just use your hands for this. Pull apart the dough in small bits and drop it all over the top of the fruit.

Don't try to smooth it out or cover every inch, just wing it. :) All those little cracks and crevices will allow the fruit juices to mingle with everything.

Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes or until the crust is firm and golden brown.

Let it cool for a few minutes before serving as the fruit juices will be very very very hot. Like fruit lava.

If you've used enough cornstarch, the juices will not be runny but jellied like in the picture, which is just what you want!

I like whipped cream with mine, but it's just as good on its own. And especially good cold for breakfast the next day. :D