Strawberry Cream Cheese Cobbler

Cobbler has got to be one of the easiest "throw together" desserts there is.  One night last week, the little ones and I were home alone for the evening and we had... yes, I admit it... frozen pizza!  I know, kinda hard to believe isn't it?  I tried to resign myself to the idea, but I just couldn't let the night go by with frozen pizza being the sum total of my children's culinary experience.  That brings me back to cobbler - a dessert made up of stuff you most likely have on hand this very second!

So without further delay, let's see how to make it.  Then you'll have a culinary curve ball in your back pocket for some day when you just want to throw something together.   Follow along with me with the step-by-step directions, or Click here to Print out the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1 1/2 cup milk (regular or 2%)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups fresh strawberries, stems removed, washed and cut into quarters
• 4 oz cream cheese (regular or reduced fat)
• 1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter, melted

Step-by-Step:

The basic batter for a cobbler is just a 1:1:1 ratio of the sugar, self-rising flour, and milk.  Then you get to throw whatever additional flavorings and berries that you'd like.   The Mexican vanilla gives everything an amazing flavor (just throw that imitation stuff down the sink!), and the fresh sweet berries speak for themselves.  My favorite part, however, is the crust.. The butter bakes up around it making it so buttery and crunchy.  Yum.  

So mix together the sugar, self-rising flour, and  milk.   By using a self-rising flour, we eliminate the need of adding leavening ingredients... making this super fast and easy to put together.

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup self rising flour

Add in the milk, some great vanilla, then whisk it all together.

1 1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

whisk it all together

Prepare the strawberries by rinsing them, removing the stems, and cutting them into quarters.   It's good to have professionals to do this sort of thing.  As one of my co-workers mentioned - soon, I'll be able to just come home and put my feet up and not even have to worry about cooking!

rinse and prep the berries

Prepare the pan by melting 4 Tbsp butter and pouring it into the bottom of a casserole dish.  My short chefs chose this dish, but I actually prefer making this cobbler in a 9x13x2" dish.  A wider, more shallow dish gives me more crunchy crust and more room to put the goodies.

4 Tbsp melted butter in the bottom of the casserole dish

Pour the batter right over the butter.  The butter will work its way up and around the edges, ensuring us a beautiful buttery brown crust.  Don't worry about your batter being a little lumpy.  I promise, it will all be fine... better than fine... in the end!

Add the batter. 

Now add the fresh berries right on top of the batter.  You don't even have to mix them in.  The batter will cook up around the berries.  If you choose to use frozen berries, beware that they give off a lot of water when they thaw, and it may appear that your colors are bleeding together.  But it will still taste great.

1 1/2 - 2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered

Now get your cream cheese ready.  All I did was cut it into little cubes.

4 oz cream cheese, cut into little cubes

I just added the cream cheese cubes onto the top of the cobbler and sort of pushed them down a bit into the batter with my finger.  This is a very low tech recipe! LOL  And now, it is ready for the oven.

Bake the cobbler, uncovered, for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

Written Directions:
Mix together the sugar, self-rising flour, and  milk. Add in the milk and vanilla, then whisk together.

Prepare the strawberries by rinsing them, removing the stems, and cutting them into quarters.  Prepare the pan by melting 4 Tbsp butter and pouring it into the bottom of a 9x13x2 casserole dish. Pour the batter right over the butter.  Add the fresh berries right on top of the batter. Now get your cream cheese ready.  All I did was cut it into little cubes.  Add the cream cheese cubes onto the top of the cobbler and pushed them down a bit with your finger.  Bake the cobbler, uncovered, for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

Order the Menu Musings Cookbook! 

 
Looking for more amazing desserts?  Check out my Recipe Index for lots of ideas!  Every skill level is covered - from super simple like this all the way to recipes for special occasions.   Here are a few to whet your appetite:
apple and cherry danish tarts

 fruit pizza

 

Chocolate Covered Cherries Cake

New Orleans Praline Brownies

Click here to Subscribe to MenuMusings so you won't miss a thing.