The end of summer is the best time to make a shoe store.
My mother sent all the children out to pick blackberries, pears, peaches, and plums, and set up a cobbler. If fresh fruit is not available, a fruit cocktail or canned peaches may be used. I’ve grown from this. This is an easy recipe that can be eaten any time of the year.
My favorite part is the edges. As it bakes, the butter will creep up the sides, making it chewy and delicious. My kids didn’t even know there was a growing edge because I got it and ate it before they did. Luckily, they liked it anyway. It’s even more delicious when served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. My favorite is peach/blueberry.
Fruit Cobbler – Some people call this recipe “kappa kappa”
- 1C sugar
- 1C milk
- 1C flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder (not baking soda)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Fresh or frozen fruit of your choice
- 1 stick of butter or margarine
Optional, but super delicious – Dry Yellow Cake Mix.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the butter (1/2 stick or whole, depending on your preference) into pieces to ensure it melts evenly. Melt the butter in a baking pan and use a casserole baking dish.
While the butter is melting, combine the flour, sugar, milk, baking powder, and vanilla in a bowl. This is the dough, set aside.
Once the butter has melted, pour the batter on top. Place the fruit evenly on top of the dough and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of your oven. When the edges are golden brown and the center is cooked through, remove from the oven.
If you want to make it really delicious, add about half a box of dry yellow cake mix on top of the fruit-topped dough, then sprinkle 1/2 stick of melted butter on top of the dry cake mix and bake.
$$ Money-saving tips for this recipe $$
- $$Choose your own fruit. You may be lucky enough to have a neighbor with fruit trees and ask, “Can I pick them?” I’ve never had anyone say no to this. Find blackberry bushes and pick them for free. You can easily use canned or frozen fruit in the winter.
- $$If you don’t have baking powder, make your own by mixing baking soda and cream of tartar, then mix 2 parts cream of tartar with 1 part baking soda. If you don’t use it up right away, add a pinch of cornstarch to keep it from clumping.
- $$Use powdered milk – I use fresh milk for drinking and powdered milk for baking bread. You won’t notice any difference in the recipe if you just mix in one cup of powdered milk.
- $$Use half a stick of butter. I think half a stick is enough, but the original recipe I inherited from my grandmother used a whole stick.
About Suzanne Grave
I have proudly called Burien home for the past 23 years. I am a devoted mother to her three wonderful children and a loving grandmother to her four adorable grandchildren.
Beyond work and family roles, my passions include gardening, cooking, baking, housekeeping, and perhaps most importantly, finding smart ways to save money. I’m excited to share my money-saving tips and tricks with you and help make your financial journey a little easier.
We are all at different stages of life and have unique challenges. In my early days as a mother, juggling a tight budget, I relied on the wisdom passed down from my mother and grandmother. We gathered fresh fruits and vegetables at their peak and stored them for times when they were less available. This approach allowed us to secure lower prices for agricultural products while they were plentiful.
As my children grew older, their tastes evolved and they started craving ready-to-eat foods like crackers, cereals, and snacks that I couldn’t make from scratch. In response, I delved into the world of coupons and rebates. This is a practice that grocery stores maintained for several years until they began scaling back their coupon and double coupon offerings.
As I moved into the empty nest stage, my cooking and baking needs were reduced to serving just two people. During this time, I stopped looking for deals and storing produce. However, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused food prices to soar. As a result, I returned to my old strategy of collecting and handcrafting homemade items to combat rising costs and reduce my grocery expenses. It was reassuring to know that the skills I had previously honed were once again proving invaluable. I am happy to share the wisdom that has been passed down to me.