One of my most vivid childhood memories is climbing the cherry tree in the backyard. I can still picture the spot where the branches formed a sturdy Y-shaped seat, where I would park myself to pick and eat cherries until I could eat no more. I felt brave and hidden so far off the ground, when in fact it was a pretty small tree that mom could see clearly from the kitchen window.
Therese was the family baker, and she found a cherry cobbler recipe that was simple enough for two girls under 12 to make by themselves. The worst part was pitting the cherries—I’m sure we created a murder scene of cherry juice everywhere. We must have really loved the cake, because it took the whole afternoon to make it. But perhaps that was always the best part.
These days, I have a plum tree, which also makes a great cobbler, and is much easier to pit than cherries. Blueberries and peaches also work well.
High on my list of the greatest things you can give a kid—just behind a puppy and a soccer ball— is a fruit tree.
Fruit Cobbler
Ingredients
Fruit filling
- 5 cups fresh cherries, plums, peaches or berries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Batter
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Remove any pits from fruit and slice if needed, and combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Let stand ten minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Whisk together the batter ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish.
- Spoon the fruit on top, but do not mix.
- Bake 45 minutes until top is golden and juice is bubbling.
- Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with vanilla ice cream.