Fruits are Baked with a Brown Butter Batter
This is one of those situations where I had some fruit, but not enough of any single type to make what I had in mind. I had a couple of peaches, a few strawberries and half a bag of cherries, but I was in the mood for a quick cobbler or something like a cobbler. I have a very easy recipe I’ve been making for many years that consists of browned butter going into the bottom of a dish, followed by a simple batter, and then sliced fruit. The batter is not stirred into the butter. As it bakes, the batter rises to the top and you end up with a nice cobbler type of dessert.
I wondered what would happen if I changed things up by greatly increasing the amount of fruit. I wanted to use up what I had on hand and decided to go for it. I also added some ground cardamom to the recipe because I love its flavor with cooked fruit.
As you can see, I ended up with something completely different than a cobbler topped with batter. Because there was so much fruit, some of it stayed on top and the batter in the center of the pan cooked up to be almost pudding-like, while the edges baked up crisp.
The verdict from myself and my household is that this version is so much better than the original recipe. It’s much more interesting in texture and and flavor. The additional fruit balances out the nutty brown butter flavored batter and the fruit juices caramelized on the edges, creating so much more flavor, while allowing the fruit that stayed on top to roast and intensify in flavor.
Don’t you just love it when things like this happen??!!
Peach, Cherry, and Strawberry Brown Butter Cobbler
6-8
servingsThis super easy cobbler is unlike any you've ever tasted. Brown butter ramps up the flavor and feel free to use any berry or stone fruit of your choice. Couldn't be more simple to make, nor could it be more delicious.
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Ingredients
1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
3/4 cup milk
5 cups sliced fresh peaches, pitted and halved sweet cherries, trimmed and halved strawberries (any combination of fruits will work)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350° with a rack in the center.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in either a medium saucepan or a medium skillet and let it cook until the solids turn a nice coppery brown. Watch it carefully because it can burn very quickly once it starts browning. Pour the butter and brown bits into the bottom of a 9 inch square baking dish.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, ground cardamom, and milk. Pour it over the butter in the dish, but do not stir.
- Place the fruit on top of the batter and sprinkle it with the brown sugar.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool a little and serve warm with ice cream, whipped cream, or crème fraîche. Enjoy!
4 Responses
Such a great combination of flavors!
I loved the sweet fruit with the cardamom. Very unexpected but delicious. The brown sugar sprinkled on top before baking gave the top great texture. I will be making this again very soon!
Thank you so much, Tracy! And I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
I’m assuming the granulated sugar goes into the batter in step 3? I’m making this tonight.
Cindy, I’m so sorry!!! But yes, you assumed correctly. I somehow left that out of the directions. But I’ve now changed it. You obviously knew what to do because yours turned out so splendidly. Thank goodness! Lol!