Riddle: It’s summer. Fourth of July weekend to be specific. You’re assigned dessert. What do you bring to a party to feed seven grown-ups and seven kids, one of whom has a dairy allergy?
In my mind, only one answer: Cobbler.
But wait: Butter + Dairy Allergy = Not the Nicest Thing to Do
And: Cobbler – Butter = Not Much of a Cobbler.
Still, not an option. My mother-in-law has been making fruit cobblers on the Fourth for the last ten years and celebrating the holiday without one would be like foregoing the flags and fireworks. A little scouring of this cool Internet thing turned up a bunch of vegan takes on the classic. This blackberry-peach version is a composite of a bunch — almond milk stands in for the regular milk and oil stands in for the butter.
I like doing all the fruit and sugar tossing right in the baking dish instead of in a separate bowl. It makes for one less big-ticket item to wash.
Please-Everyone Summer Fruit Cobbler
Filling:
2 pounds peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 small container blackberries (or blueberries or raspberries)
1/3 cup sugar
about 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Topping:
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons maple syrup
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a glass baking dish, toss together the fruit and sugar. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes.
While the peaches are baking, prepare the cobbler topping. In a small bowl, stir together the almond milk, oil, vanilla and almond extract, maple syrup, and set aside. In a large bowl, place both flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, and stir well to combine. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients slowly, stirring to combine after each addition.
After the fruit has cooked, remove the piece of foil. Scatter spoonfuls of the dough on top of the fruit (smushing and flattening down the dollops a bit; if you like your cobbler more fruity, less cakey, you may not want to use all the dough batter you’ve made) and return the pan to the oven. Bake another 15 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.