A controversial cobbler. Who would have thought such a thing could exist! 

Growing up, cobbler was a huge part of my summer diet. I grew up on a farm surrounded by boysenberry vines, and every year, my siblings and I would pick them at the height of ripeness, in all their juicy sweet glory. We would fill bucket after bucket with berries, and eat way too many, and even after my mom made jam for the year, we’d have buckets left over, so then cobbler season started. 

All summer, we would have boysenberry cobbler for dessert, and I never tired of it. It’s still probably my favorite dessert. So, I’m no cobbler expert, but I’d call myself cobbler experienced. So imagine my surprise when I decided to make cobbler this week, only to find out I had been duped! My childhood was a lie! I wasn’t eating cobbler at all! Apparently, what I was enjoying so much is a crisp, and technically a crisp isn’t a cobbler at all! The horror! 

I had always thought cobbler was a general term for a baked fruit dessert with some sort of crumbly topping. I knew there were different kinds, some were biscuity, others were cake-like, some were crunchy, but I was actually wrong. There really is only one true cobbler, and the rest have very specific, and sometimes silly, names I had never heard of. And the crunchy, buttery, oatmeal treat I loved so much not a cobbler at all, apparently. Fascinating! 

That said, all the technical classifications aside, I do think the meaning of the word cobbler has evolved over time, and I don’t think I’m the only one who thinks it refers to the collective idea, not just one individual type, but I would love your thoughts on the matter. 

So, in that spirit, I’m going to call crisps and crumbles cobblers. You can argue with me, I do love a good food debate, but I’m doing it. So, let’s talk about what a crisp and a crumble is exactly. 

They look a lot alike, they both have the same fruit base, and both are topped with a crumbly streusel-like pastry. The main difference is crisps, like their name implies, have extra crunchy texture with the addition of things like oatmeal and nuts. I thought it would be fun to make both, to show you how similar they are, and how easy it is to adapt them to your personal taste. 

So let’s get started. First, we’ll make a crisp. This recipe is from Geraldine Cooney, and I found it inside the 1950’s community cookbook California Kitchens.  

All you need to do to get started is blend fresh fruit with sugar and a bit of flour. You can use almost any fruit, so use whatever is in season at the moment. I used blueberries because I am lucky enough to have an organic pick your own blueberry farm near where I live, but just use whatever your area has to offer. Adjust your sugar depending on how sweet your fruit is from half cup to one cup. My berries are nice and sweet, so I will use a half cup, but if you’re using something tart like green apples, feel free to use a whole cup. Mix everything together, then transfer to a casserole dish and set it aside while we make our topping. 

The crisp topping is very simple. Simply combine flour, brown sugar, salt, nuts, and oatmeal in a medium size mixing bowl. Once those are well combined, cut in butter. It’s easiest if you cut the butter into small cubes before you put it in. The best way to mix the butter in is with your hands. A pastry knife is often an option for cutting and butter, but with the nuts and oatmeal, a pastry knife is difficult to use so your hands really are best. 

Try not to overmix the crumble. The less the better in this case. You will want to still see chunks of butter when you’re done, so just gently squish things around, and stop as quickly as possible. Pour that over your berry mixture, and you’re done! 

So now I will set that aside while we make our crumble. A crumble is even simpler. This recipe is from Janet Bowles. She was sweet enough to donate it in the 1980’s Norris Choir Sister City community cookbook. 

The fruit filling is made the exact same way as the crisp by combining fresh fruit, sugar, and flour, then transferring it to a casserole dish. 

The topping is made by combining flour, brown sugar and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix those together well, then cut in butter. Again cut the butter into small cubes before adding it to the flour and mix as little as possible, leaving plenty of visible large butter pieces. Not over mixing is what ensures you’ll have a lovely crumbly crust that falls apart beautifully. Pour that over your fruit, and just like that it’s ready to bake.

Both the crisp and crumble are now ready to go in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour until the tops are a beautiful golden brown, and the fruit filling is bubbling. 

All done! As you can see, the crisp is a bit more rustic with lots of texture from the nuts and oatmeal. It also is a bit less sweet, so if your someone who prefers desserts to be less sweet, this one’s for you. The crisp has a delightfully buttery crumbly crust that melts in your mouth like a candy, just the perfect texture. Whatever you prefer, they are both delightful, and ready to enjoy with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. 

If you enjoyed this recipe, you’ll love all the other cobblers I made, so be sure to check them out through the links below. Who knew cobbler was such a complicated dessert? You might find a new favorite type you’ve never heard of before. I’m so grateful Geraldine and Janet were kind enough to donate their recipe in their community’s cookbook. I hope it inspires you to save more vintage spiral bound community cookbooks, and cook more old recipes.