Vintage Cobbler Recipes
There’s something magical about a cobbler. It’s just perfect, isn’t it? Ice cream melting over all that sweet fruit filling and crumbly pastry top is just everything good about summer. If I had to pick a favorite dessert, I think cobbler would be it. There’s so much to love about it. The celebration of seasonal fruit picked at the height of ripeness, the buttery top baked to golden brown perfection, and a giant scoop of sweet ice cream to top it all off.
Cobbler is the king of humble desserts. You won’t often find it in a fancy restaurant - it’s probably been served on more paper plates than china, but there is something so special about it. So I was super excited to share some cobbler recipes I found in my vintage community cookbooks, but looking through them, I quickly got very confused. For such a humble and simple thing to make, I found myself lost trying to define exactly what a cobbler is.
I thought it was so simple - but when I looked for what I thought a cobbler was, the one I remember from my childhood, I found out it isn’t even a cobbler at all! Imagine my surprise! That started me down a whole cobbler journey, where I learned how cobblers began, what exactly they are, and how they’re appreciated completely differently depending on the region they’re from. I had no idea cobblers were so interesting and complex!
COBBLER HISTORY
The first cobblers were made by English colonists in America who didn’t have access to the ingredients to make the popular pie of the time, suet. So, like all great home cooks, they used what they had on hand, sweetened seasonal fruits and a basic rustic biscuit-like dough, to invent one of the tastiest desserts ever made.
It’s unclear exactly how the name came to be. Some say it’s because it was ‘cobbled together’ with whatever you had on hand, other stories say it was because the drop biscuits on top resembled cobblestones. Either way, it was a big hit, and as populations expanded into new areas of America, every region came up with a unique style that fit them.
WHAT IS A COBBLER, ANYWAY?
So, here I was thinking cobbler was just one simple dish, when it was actually several very specific types, all with unique techniques and flavors, and even names. Like, ever heard of a Sonker? Or a grunt? Yeah, they’re cobblers. And what I thought of as a cobbler is actually a crumble, which arguably isn’t a cobbler at all! Yeah, technically crisps and crumbles actually aren’t cobblers, can you believe that? I think they’re close enough to keep them in the family, but many argue they are in a class of their own.
So what exactly is a cobbler then? Well, technically speaking, there really is only one true cobbler. It’s made with a fruit filling, with drop biscuits dolloped on top and baked to a golden brown. That’s the only true cobbler out there. But, we’ve come to think of cobbler as a collective term, inclusive of all sorts of different toppings, so how about all the other ones that have evolved across time and region into what we think of as our own personal cobbler?
EVERY REGION HAS A COBBLER OF ITS OWN
Well, it has been a tasty trip, let me tell you, researching what and how these unique regional cobblers came to be.
New England brought us the Grunt, which is very similar to the original, but instead of baking, the biscuits are dropped into boiling fruit, and steamed on the stovetop like dumplings to tender perfection. Then there’s the Sonker, from the North Carolina region, made by baking the fruit by itself, then pouring a pancake like batter over the top. There’s another one called a Buckle, made with a cake-like batter on the bottom, and fruit on top.
Then there are the controversial crisps and crumbles, made with a streusel like topping, crisps having oatmeal and nuts added for that extra texture. I’m sticking to including them as cobblers, but I would love your thoughts. There’s even more, if you can believe it, but I want to know what you thought cobbler was? Did you know there were so many? And what’s your favorite kind?
LET’S MAKE ALL OF THEM!
I’m visiting a pick your own blueberry farm in my area so I can celebrate cobbler the best way I know how - by making it! I found several recipes in my vintage community cookbooks, and I can’t wait to show you how fun the different types are to make. So, be sure to check out the recipes below if you love cobbler as much as I do, or even if you’re just dying to see what on earth a Sonker is!
WANT TO COOK THE RECIPES IN THIS SERIES? SEE BELOW FOR LINKS!
KITCHENWARE USED IN THIS SERIES
Other Recipes in this Series
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Vintage Cobbler and Grunt
A classic Cobbler and its counterpart, the Grunt. Two of the oldest cobblers, and you can use the same recipe to create them both! The only difference - how you cook them. Baked or steamed - which would you want a scoop of?
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Vintage Sonker Cobbler
Ever heard of a Sonker? I hadn’t before now, so I was super excited to try one! It’s a North Carolina tradition - there’s even a Surry Sonker Trail to celebrate this unique cobbler.
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Vintage Buckle Cobbler
Upside down cobbler! A Buckle is a uniquely simple cobbler you can whip up quickly and easily.
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Vintage Crisp and Crumble Recipes
Buttery, crunchy, gooey sweet - the perfect dessert!
