Cherry Blackberry Cobbler

My seven year old is at that obnoxious age where if I say something like, "I love July," while shoving a handful of fresh, juicy cherries into my mouth, she counters quickly with, "Why don't you marry it then?" I remember saying the same thing, of course, when I was seven too. It's part of the age, but even though it makes me roll my eyes, it almost always makes me grin too. Also, I'm not above saying something back like, "Fine, I will then." I might even stick out my tongue sometimes too.

Fact of the matter: The only way I would consider getting married again is if July asked me. I'd totally marry July. I might also marry September if it asked nicely and brought ripe tomatoes.

But right now, the cherries have stolen my heart. Sweet, juicy cherries! We've been eating them by the handfuls, tossing them into every smoothie we make, and spending far too much time thinking about all the desserts we can put them into. I even put it out to my Some the Wiser Facebook followers, but I'll be honest, you guys weren't very helpful. I was trying to decide between a cobbler, a pie, a cheesecake. But my lovely facebook fans only added frozen yogurt, galettes, turnovers, and cherry dump pies into the mix. There are just way too many delicious things to make with fresh cherries. Way too many.

After considering all the options, and eating a few more handfuls of cherries, I decided not to limit myself. This Cherry Blackberry Cobbler is just the beginning.

I have the most delicious cherries to work with right now too. A few days ago, I received my first curated box of fruit from Stemilt Growers, delivered right to my doorstep. We've been enjoying the tasty Lil' Snappers Apples they sent (perfect size for the kids!), and oh my, those dark sweet cherries!  

The cherries are HUGE! Double the size of any of the cherries I've seen around here and so incredibly delicious. Forget about marrying July, I'll just marry these cherries and live happily ever after.

This curated box service is new to Stemilt Growers, but the family owned business has been growing and sharing delicious fruit since the 1960's. Clearly, they've perfected the cherries! It's all non-GMO and they have organic options too. I'm a fan. (And this is not a sponsored post).

So for my first in what I expect will be a round of cherry recipes, I am offering up this perfect summer Cherry Blackberry Cobbler recipe. There is a hint of marjoram in it, which only adds to the flavors of summer. The Vanilla Bean biscuits, sweetened lightly with honey, are the perfect topping for the sweet berries and cherries. It's quick, once you've got all those cherries pitted (beware the pink fingers you'll be sporting afterwards) and though I do hate to turn on the oven in July, this Cherry Blackberry Cobbler is worth it, really worth it.

We served ours with ice cream, good creamy Tillamook ice cream, but freshly whipped cream is lovely too. Enjoy the last few days of July, wonderful July. This cobbler will send it out with a bang.

Yield: 4 to 6

Cherry Blackberry Cobbler

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 2 cups sweet cherries, pitted
• 2 cups blackberries
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• juice from one lemon, about 2 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt

For the biscuits

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 6 tablespoons cold, salted butter, cut into pieces
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ¼ cup honey
• the seeds of one vanilla bean
• powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie plate or casserole dish.
2. For the filling, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently until the berries and cherries are well coated. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.
3. For the biscuits, combine the dry ingredients and the vanilla bean seeds, in the bowl of a food processor. Process once or twice to blend. Add the butter pieces and process until mixture is crumbly and resembles coarse meal. Pour mixture in to a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Scoop ¼ cup dollops of dough onto the fruit mixture in casserole dish.
4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until fruit is bubbly and biscuits are golden. If the biscuits begin to darken before the berries are done, lightly tent the dish with foil.
5. Dust with powdered sugar before serving and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/blackberry-cherry-cobbler-with-honey-whipped-cream