Rhubarb Cobbler
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Sweet, tangy, easy-to-make Rhubarb Cobbler combines the use of fresh garden rhubarb with a homemade biscuit dough baked in a cast iron casserole dish for one of the best dessert dishes to bring to a pot luck.
What is Rhubarb Cobbler
Similar to the Peach Cobbler I have, this easy dessert dish uses fresh seasonal produce that is then cooked down into a thick saucy, almost pie-like mixture. However, we aren’t using pie crusts, instead, we’re topping it with a homemade sweet biscuit dough.
Created in the 1850’s, a cobbler was really more like a pie. Over time into the early 1900s, southerns started to adapt the recipe to include biscuit dough instead of a pie crust. The biscuit dough on a cobbler holds the balance between being cake-like and being a more sturdy biscuit-like that you would find in Strawberry Shortcake.
What’s the difference between Cobbler, Crisp, and Crumble?
While a cobbler has this cake/biscuit type topping, a crisp and a crumble are much more comparable. According to Bon Appetit, a crisp is in fact a bit crispier than a crumble. It often includes flour, butter, sugar, and oats as part of the topping and is cooked at a high temperature like 400F. Whereas a crumble often lacks the oats, yet isn’t thick like a biscuit dough you find in a cobbler.
How to make a Cast Iron Cobbler
This recipe and the use of cast iron is incredibly versatile. For this cobbler I used a cast iron casserole dish but you can use a dutch oven or deep skillet if you don’t have the casserole dish.
I love this recipe for its simplicity. Only one extra bowl for making the dough is needed, otherwise, everything happens right in the cast iron dish.
Start by cutting your rhubarb into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. As you cut them, add to the cast iron. Once you’ve cut all the rhubarb, sprinkle over the sugar and cornstarch. Mixing with a spoon until well coated. Leave to macerate while you work on the dough.
Next, grab that large bowl we were talking about and add the dry ingredients of the biscuit dough. Cut the butter into 1/4 inch cubes and crumble slightly with your hands. Pour in the milk and use a wooden spoon to complete mixing the dough. It will be sticky and there will be clumps of butter still visible.
Top the rhubarb filling with the dough. It does not need to cover the fruit mixture completely as it will spread during the cooking process.
Place into a 350F oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. The perfect amount of time to whip up some homemade whipped cream for topping.
Adding Strawberries
As you may have noticed in the pictures, I had a few strawberries added to the fruit mixture. If you’re looking to have a Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler, just do a half-and-half ratio of strawberries to rhubarb. This cobbler took 8 cups of rhubarb and I only had about 1 cup of strawberries. I realized this after I had already chopped and added the strawberries. I happens. It’ll be delicious either way!
How to Store Rhubarb Cobbler
Once the rhubarb has cooled and you’ve enjoyed it as much as you’re going to, remove the leftover cobbler from the cast iron and store in tupperware, I prefer glass. While the cobbler may become a bit soggy or squishy as the days pass, with the dough absorbing the liquid from the fruit, I assure you the taste is still perfection. You can store this in a refrigerator for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to four months! Perfect for when you need a taste of summer during those winter months.
To reheat the cobbler, you can microwave it or place into a skillet and into a 350F oven for about 10-15 minutes.
Other Fruity Desserts you’ll love!
- Skillet Fresh Cherry Bourbon Rosemary Pandowdy
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
- Dutch Oven Fresh Peach Cobbler
Rhubarb Cobbler
Equipment
- 9×13 casserole dish or 5 quart dutch oven
- wooden spoon
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring Cups
- measuring spoons
- Whisk
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 8 cups rhubarb 1/4-1/2 inch pieces in thickness
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Biscuit Dough
- 1-1/2 cup flour all-purpose
- 1/2 cup sugar cane, granulated
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 Tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1/3 cup milk whole
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Dice the clean rhubarb into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces in thickness. Add to the bottom of the cast iron dish. Sprinkle sugar and cornstarch on top of the rhubarb and toss to coat. Set aside while making the biscuit dough.
- To make the biscuit dough, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to a large bowl and whisk. Cut butter into 1/4 inch cubes and crumble by hand into the dry mixture until slightly crumbly. Pour in the milk and stir with a wooden spoon until dough is sticky.
- Dollup the dough mixture on top of the rhubarb mixture in clumps. It does not need to be flat nor cover all of the rhubarb as it will start to spread as it bakes.
- Bake at 350F for 45 minutes uncovered. After baking, remove from oven and allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
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Love this recipe? Make sure to comment below and let me know your thoughts!
This recipe sounds delicious. Now – Do you have a wild blueberry recipe as it’s the beginning of blueberry season?
I certainly will!