Skinny Berry Skillet Cobbler

This gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free Summer Berry Cobbler is super easy and baked in a cast iron skillet. Perfect for a healthy and simple summer dessert!

This beautiful cobbler lived a full life of about 5 minutes before being devoured by my family and yours truly. Best part? Since it’s “healthy” I didn’t even feel guilty eating a third of it! Okay, maybe a little. In all honesty though, this really is a healthy version of your typical cobbler. It’s gluten, dairy and refined-sugar free, but the real selling point is those without dietary restrictions will love it too!

I’ve been dreaming of making this glorious cobbler the second we set foot in the berry fields this morning. As you may have figured out by now, I’m OBSESSED with anything having to do with U-Pick farms, farmers markets, etc. Basically Portland + Chelsey = match made in heaven. I have a heavenly fruit crisp recipe down pat (that I am excited to share with you in the fall!) However, I’ve never tried making a healthy cobbler before so I thought I would give myself a challenge.

I feel like there are a lot of recipes out there that are gluten free or maybe even a combo of gluten and dairy, but all three (GF, DF & refined sugar-free) is hard to find, unless it’s Paleo. While I do love to experiment with Paleo recipes from time to time, I also am a huge fan of my legumes and grains. So today, I did not want to go Paleo. Only option left was to create my own take on the basic cobbler recipe. End result: SUBLIME. A crispy, buttery, flakey biscuit-like topping with the perfect combo of sweet and tart filling – everything I want in a cobbler and so much more!

This is the perfect dessert for summer days where you don’t want to slave away in the kitchen but would rather relax by the pool. Why? Because it is so quick, easy and painless! You really only dirty two dishes for this recipe, which in my book always gets a gold star. The filling (whatever seasonal fruit you have on hand) gets mixed up with some cinnamon, maple syrup and a few other quick ingredients right in the cast iron skillet. No bowl necessary. (gasp!) You don’t have to use a skillet either, a Pyrex pan or other baking dish will work great too. I just love using my cast iron because it adds great flavor. Plus, isn’t the end presentation so pretty?

For the topping, I decided to go with a more biscuit- like route. However, keeping in theme with our easy “I want to chill in the pool NOT slave away in the kitchen” mood, I decided to do drop biscuits. So pretty much, you dump all the dry ingredients in a bowl, grate a frozen cube of butter (I use dairy free Earth Balance) on top, fluff together with a fork, add the wet ingredients, mix it up, and then drop spoonfuls on top of the filling mixture in the skillet. Sounded like a mouthful I know, however it seriously takes less than 10 minutes.

Next: pop that baby in the oven! Imagine the aroma that filled my kitchen as those sweet juicy berries bubbled and baked in the cast iron skillet. Pure torture. Good thing I could set the timer and sit in the pool while I waited. High five!

Two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream on top? Okay, I’ll allow it.

Skinny Berry Skillet Cobbler

This gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free Summer Berry Cobbler is super easy and baked in a cast iron skillet. Perfect for a healthy and simple summer dessert!

• Author: The Saucy Fig
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Dessert

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

Berry Mixture

• 5–6 cups berries of choice (I used raspberries and blackberries)
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons agave or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt

Biscuit Topping

• 3 cups Bob’s 1 to 1 Baking Flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 stick earth balance frozen (8 tablespoons) or other dairy free butter of choice
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cup cashew milk

Instructions

Berry Mixture

1. Place berries in the skillet.  Top with the rest of Berry Mixture ingredients and carefully fold over (without smashing berries) until combined and you can no longer see the corn starch.

Biscuit Topping

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Add all dry ingredients from the Biscuit Topping list to a medium bowl.
3. Using a box grater, grate the stick of frozen earth balance (non-dairy butter) into the flour mixture. Toss gently with a fork to combine, if needed us a pastry cutter or fork to continue to work the butter into the flour until there are no large pieces left.
4. Add whisked egg and milk to the bowl and stir with spoon until combined.
5. Using spoon, drop biscuit mixture on top of berries in skillet. Make sure to drop even amounts (not large spoonfuls) over the over the whole skillet to create an even layer of cobbler.
6. Bake in oven for 35-45 minutes or until berries are bubbling and the cobbler topping is golden brown and looks cooked through.

Notes

Serve with your vanilla ice cream or your favorite dairy free ice cream. We love Luna and Larry’s Vanilla Island Coconut Bliss for a dairy and refined sugar-free option. Also, SO Delicious Cashew Milk is super yummy, but not refined-sugar free.

Keywords: berry, skillet, cobbler, healthy, skinny desserts, dessert, summer

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