Name: Apple & Blueberry Cobbler
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 650g Bramley apples, weighed before peeling and coring, then cut into roughly 2cm pieces; 300g blueberries, fresh or frozen; 75g light soft brown sugar, divided, plus 1–2 tbsp extra if needed for very tart apples; 1 tbsp lemon juice; Finely grated zest of ½ lemon; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tbsp cornflour; 2 tbsp water; 200g self-raising flour; 60g cold unsalted butter, diced; 40g caster sugar; A pinch of fine salt; 130ml milk, plus a little extra for brushing; ½ tsp vanilla extract; 1 tbsp demerara sugar; Warm vanilla custard, double cream or vanilla ice cream

Method

20 mins prep50 mins cook80 mins total

Heat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional / gas 6. Set out a deep baking dish approximately 20 × 25cm and place a baking tray on the shelf below to catch any overflowing juices.
Put the prepared apples in a saucepan with 50g brown sugar, the lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon and 2 tbsp water. Cover and cook over a gentle heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the edges soften but the pieces still hold their shape. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract. Taste carefully and add the optional extra brown sugar only if needed.
Combine the remaining 25g brown sugar with the cornflour, then toss with the blueberries. Fold the coated berries into the warm apples without crushing them. Transfer the fruit and all its juices to the baking dish.
Combine the self-raising flour, caster sugar and salt in a bowl. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture is crumbly, leaving a few small buttery pieces rather than working it into a paste.
Mix ½ tsp vanilla extract into the milk. Stir most of this into the flour mixture, folding gently with a spoon. Add the rest only as needed to make a thick, soft dough that holds a spoonful shape; stop as soon as the dry flour disappears.
Spoon 8–10 rough mounds of dough over the fruit, keeping small spaces between them rather than spreading a complete lid. Brush the tops with a little extra milk and scatter over the demerara sugar.
Bake for 35–45 minutes until the topping is well risen and golden and the fruit juices are bubbling. Open the thickest central mound to check that its middle is fluffy and cooked through, with no wet dough. If the top colours too quickly, cover loosely with foil and continue baking until ready. Frozen berries or cold filling may need longer.
Let the cobbler stand for 10 minutes so the juices settle. Spoon the fruit and topping into bowls and serve warm, with custard, cream or ice cream if liked.

Notes

Yield: Makes 6 generous portions or 8 smaller servings. The 80-minute total includes a 10-minute rest and allows for the longer baking time.

A light topping: Keep the butter cold and mix the dough only until combined. The topping should sit in mounds rather than pour over the fruit.

Frozen berries: Use straight from frozen. Allow extra time if necessary and judge the centre of the topping, not just its colour.

Prepare ahead: Cook and cool the fruit filling up to a day ahead, then refrigerate covered. Mix and add the topping just before baking; chilled fruit will take longer to heat through.

Leftovers: Cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours. Use within 48 hours and reheat portions until piping hot throughout. Alternatively, freeze cooled portions for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat thoroughly; the topping may soften.