Blueberry Cobbler

Nothing says summer like this blueberry cobbler! It has a flaky, tender shortcake topping, blueberries flavored with mandarin oranges, and is baked to jammie perfection! 

This dessert will have all the neighbors talking about you. There will be whispers of how you brought the blueberry cobbler with a shortcake topping that was crispy but also chewy and delightful. Because I am who I am, I did add one small secret ingredient—a subtle flavor that will have everyone guessing what you put in your cobbler to make it so much better! Mandarin orange! 

Just the shortcake topping alone would start a ruckus. Yes, you could make just the shortcake and top it with macerated berries, my easy blueberry sauce, or make a classic strawberry shortcake! You can also take cherry pie filling and make a delicious cherry cobbler! But if you’re like me, and grab as many blueberries from the farmers market as you can carry, try my blueberry pie, blueberry scones, or no-bake blueberry cheesecake bars for more show-stopping blueberry desserts! 

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Professional Tips for Making Blueberry Cobbler

• Allow your zest to sit with your sugar. When flavoring with zest, I find it best to zest directly into the sugar and let it sit while you scale your other ingredients or even for a few hours. This will allow the oils in the zest time to flavor the sugar. You can even mix them the night before; just leave the mixture in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. 
• Use cold butter, sour cream, and heavy cream. The key to the cut-in method of mixing is cold butter, sour cream, and heavy cream. Cold ingredients will help limit the gluten development in your shortcake. This is the same principle behind using ice water in my all-butter pie crust. 
• If using frozen blueberries, allow them to defrost. Frozen blueberries will still create a delicious cobbler filling, but allowing them to defrost will help your shortcake and filling bake in the same amount of time. 

Ingredients Needed

• All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour has just the right amount of gluten to make a tender shortcake when appropriately handled. You could also use pastry flour. 
• Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar is here for sweetness and to aid in the thickening process. Sugar absorbs moisture as the filling bakes, which results in a thicker fruit filling. It will also help the shortcake topping get a beautiful golden brown color. 
• Mandarin Oranges: The mandarin oranges help complement the blueberries and give the cobbler a more complex floral pallet. You could use any oranges or even orange juice. 
• Baking Powder: Double-acting baking powder reacts first when mixed with the acid and then again when heated. This helps give the bar a more stable rise than baking soda alone. 
• Baking Soda: Baking soda reacts when mixed with an acid, which is the sour cream, giving the shortcake a fast rise in the beginning. 
• Kosher Salt: The kosher salt enhances the flavor of the shortcake without adding more sugar, which in turn helps to keep the shortcake from spreading. 
• Unsalted Butter: I use unsalted butter for baking because you want to control the amount of salt you add. The butter is integral to shortening the gluten strands, which get coated during the mixing process. When mixed in correctly, it will help the shortcake be tender and moist.  
• Sour Cream: The extra fat in full-fat sour cream helps reduce the development of gluten and adds to the flavor and texture. 
• Heavy Cream: Heavy cream adds enough liquid to make a moist, tender shortcake. It also contains fat to enhance the flavor and texture. 
• Blueberries: This recipe calls for fresh or frozen blueberries. If you substitute any other fruit, the filling will not be as thick. Blueberries have a high amount of pectin, which is partly responsible for the consistency of the filling. If you want all the berries try my berry crumble recipe instead! 
• Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds acid to the cobbler filling. The fresh lemons also help enhance the flavor of the blueberries without adding more sugar. 
• Cornstarch: The cornstarch is here to help thicken the fruit filling. Blueberries do have their own thickening powers, but not all blueberries are created equal. They also have to pop to release the pectin and that takes more time than we have patience sometimes! 

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Possible Substitutions 

• Alternative thickening agents. Cornstarch can be replaced with flour, but the flour will affect the color of the cobbler filling. Tapioca flour can also be used as a thickener. Tapioca is slightly stronger than cornstarch and is less likely to already be in your pantry, but it is worth it because I have found that it leaves less of a flavor behind. 
• Citrus. The mandarin oranges can be replaced with lemon juice and lemon zest, blood orange, or navel oranges! All will pair perfectly with the blueberries and help give the cobbler that fresh summer taste! 
• Pastry Flour. You can use the same shortcake recipe with pastry or all-purpose flour. 
• Different Topping: If you don’t’ want to make shortcakes from scratch or you are short on time, try using the easy biscuit topping from this old fashioned peach cobbler, store-bought biscuits or even this streusel topping.

How to Make Blueberry Cobbler 

Use these instructions to make the perfect blueberry cobbler every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Make the Shortcake: 

Step 1: Zest the mandarin orange into the sugar and place it aside while you scale the other ingredients.

Step 2: Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the dry ingredients together to ensure equal distribution of the salt and the leavening agents. 

Step 3: Add the cold butter to the dry ingredients above and mix on low until the butter is completely incorporated into the flour. 

Step 4: While the butter is mixed into the flour mixture, whisk the heavy and sour cream together. When the butter is fully incorporated, add the sour and heavy cream to the mixer. Mix on low until a shaggy dough forms. 

Step 5: Place the dough onto plastic wrap and press until the dough is about ½ inch thick. Wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. You want the shortcake dough to be firm.

For even shortcakes, place the dough on a well-floured surface and roll it to the desired width with a rolling pin. It would be best to do this after the shortcake dough has rested in the fridge.

Step 6: It’s time to cut the shortcake. The shape is up to you. I use different-sized fluted cutters, but a cookie cutter or even a glass will work just fine. Chill the cut shortcakes before baking. They can also be baked from frozen!

Step 7: Preheat the oven to 350°F

Blueberry Filling:

Step 8: Combine blueberries, sugar, zest and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Taste the filling and adjust lemon juice or sugar as desired. Stir in the cornstarch after tasting.

Step 9: Pour into a baking dish. I used an 8x 8-inch pan, but you could use a 9×9 inch, ceramic oval dish or a round dish. 

Assemble and Bake:

Step 10: Place the shortcake on top of the blueberry filling. There can be gaps between the shortcakes, or you can completely cover the cobbler. Brush the shortcake with heavy cream and sprinkle it with sugar or cinnamon sugar. 

Step 11: Place the cobbler on a parchment-lined sheet tray to prevent it from spilling into your oven. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling in the center and the tops of the shortcakes are golden brown. 

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef created recipe. Check out more crisps, cobblers, & crumble recipes or dive into more blueberry recipes with blueberry bran muffins, jumbo blueberry muffins and blueberry nectarine galette!