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I'm not sure when my mom got her copy of the cookbook but I knew that I wanted to have a copy for my own kitchen. Unfortunately it isn't widely available anymore--though you can buy a brand new copy for a pretty penny--and while I do have the updated Betty Crocker cookbook, it just isn't the same.
Several years ago during a local Friends of the Library Sale I was rummaging through the cookbook section when I saw the muted red cover peaking out from under the pile. I gasped and excitedly grabbed the copy. I flipped to the pie section just to make sure it was the same and yup--Fresh Apple Pie. And several pages back--yup, buttercream frosting. It was mine.
The cookbook itself is terribly outdated. The edition is from the 1970s and contains a brand new section for microwave cooking! (still cracks me up that people thought cooking casseroles in the microwave was a better idea than using the oven). Some of the recipes are outdated (jello molds anyone?) and the pictures are old-fashioned. But anytime I want a recipe for something 'classic' I consult old Betty. She rarely lets me down.
I was recently looking for a cobbler recipe as blackberries were on sale and I couldn't help but buy half a dozen little packages. Some of you emailed me your own recipes for cobbler but I ended up consulting Betty to see what she had in store. I had no idea what to expect from the taste of the recipe, and while it is different from what I was originally expecting, there weren't any complaints from the partakers!
Betty Crocker's Cobbler
(note: Betty has variations in this cookbook for peach, blueberry, cherry, and plum. Since I figured blackberries were similar enough to blueberries I went with that variation)
Ingredients:
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 cups blackberries (or blueberries or any berry I guess!)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup milk
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400⁰ Fahrenheit.
2. Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a 2 quart sauce pan and add berries and lemon juice.
3. Cook fruit mixture, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils. Allow boil for 1 minute.
4. Pour fruit mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish.
5. In a small bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter using pastry knife (or fork like I did) until mixture resembles cornmeal (crumbly).
6. Stir in milk and spoon dough onto fruit mixture.
7. Bake until hot, bubbly, and golden brown.
8. Gobble up over cold Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (or whatever ice cream you have)
Mmmmmmm. Berries.
Uncooked dough droplets. Probably like Bisquick?
The cobbler portion is more like biscuits than the normal cobbler you might be used to, but it sure was yummy. And the leftovers? We stirred the berry mixture into plain yogurt for a delicious after dinner treat. We actually love this idea so much that we currently have a cherry mixture on the stove cooking so we can then freeze for later for yogurt add-ins.
Do you have an old treasured cookbook? I'd love to hear about it!
On the Blog:
One Year Ago - Elle's Baby Quilt Finished!!
Two Years Ago - Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Three Years Ago - Sunday Salon 10 - Second Blogiversary
Four Years Ago - A Rumor of War - Philip Caputo
Five Years Ago - New Books / Old Books
This is one of my lifelong go-to cookbooks as well but I have the gorgeous (not) 70's orange cover. My mom had an all-white wedding version of it and when I was going to leave for college I wanted a copy. Well, it turned out that my grandma had two for some reason so I got to take one. I think mine was printed in 1975, the year I was born. The thing I make the most from it is lasagna -- with a few modifications but mostly the same lasagna I've been enjoying all my life. That's where the book opens to. :)
ReplyDeleteHmm, nice! It seems a cobbler is like a crumble (http://leeswammes.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/a-fruit-crumble-for-your-fading-fruit-recipe/)? Fruit at the bottom and a layer of pastry (crumbs) on top? I LOVE crumbles. This one looks good too.
ReplyDeleteMy mom has an old thick but spiral-bound copy- the one with a red-and-white checkered cover. I still use the Betty Crocker recipe for pie crust, baking powder biscuits, fruit pie, etc. Have been wanting my own copy for some time.
ReplyDeleteMy mom had the exact same cookbook and I did the same as you. When I was first married, I bought the updated one, and it really isn't the same. I'm so envious. I should just steal my mom's when I visit her this summer because she doesn't really cook. Haha!
ReplyDeleteI love all kinds of berries so this cobbler looks delicious. It's not easy to find blackberries here, but I do have a huge package of blueberries in my fridge. This may just be Sunday dessert.
I laughed when I saw the line "Including Microwave Recipes." Classic recipes are classic for a reason and your cobbler proves that. It looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteI agree - can't go wrong with Betty! Also Fanny Farmer. Those "old gals" knew what made good cooking! (Also, glad you (or she) mentioned the ice cream, because it is almost illegal to eat cobbler without ice cream!)
ReplyDelete*Kristen - I've seen the wedding edition and it's gorgeous! I never thought that I would treasure a cookbook so much and I'm so excited to see that so many of you guys have the same (or similar book). I'll have to look in my copy for the lasagna.
ReplyDelete*Judith - There are different types of cobblers and crumbles--my favorites have a type of oatmeal and brown sugar mixture on top (think we call it crisp here). I love how your version has coconut! Yum!
*Jeane - I think you can buy the books used on Amazon--it was just the brand new copy for $450 that made my jaw drop! But don't forget to scour the used sections...never know what you'll find!
*Kristi - LOL! Yes, definitely steal away your mom's copy. Unfortunately I know my mom would miss hers if I took her copy. And this would be delicious with blueberries! But the cobbler part is like biscuits so keep that in mind--maybe a bit of sugar might help sweeten it a bit.
*Bermudaonion - Isn't it funny how people treated their microwaves when they first came out? I would never think to cook anything in mine!
*Rhapsody - I'm going to have to look up Fanny Farmer! And I don't even know what cobbler tastes like without ice cream. ;)
Betty Crocker checks and rechecks all their recipes and has very strict standards when it comes to editing their books. Betty is always a sure bet. I've had cobbler a lot of different ways, but the biscuit topping is the most traditional (as far as I can tell). I make cobblers and crisps quite often in the summer. Love all that fresh fruit.
ReplyDeleteThat cobbler looks SOOOO good! The fresh berries look delish too!
ReplyDeleteMy mom had a Betty Crocker cookbook that I learned to bake from. And, just like you, I found a used copy (mine was from a garage sale and held together with rubber bands!) when I grew up.
Old reliable...
I had that same copy of Betty Crocker, but I gave it to s used book sale when I moved to NYC a few years ago. You just brought back some wonderful memories for me!
ReplyDeleteI have that edition! Haven't looked at it in years though...
ReplyDeleteMy edition was my mother's. It is looseleaf and the cover is coming off, but I still use it regularly. It makes me think of her every time. I also have a new edition, but I like the old, falling-apart one.
ReplyDeleteThat's the same cookbook we used to use when I was a kid. I've never found a better recipe for biscuits than Betty Crocker. The cobbler looks awesome!
ReplyDeleteI have both my Mom's old (older than the one you've got) edition and a new one I bought. Betty Crocker is a classic reliable cookbook.
ReplyDeleteMy cobbler recipe (not Betty's - the one I sent you) is going with me on vacation this week - we'll pick up some fresh peaches and have plenty for dessert and then breakfast.
I love the old Betty cookbook. I love pie crust layers in my cobbler, I made my first last summer!! We are working on eating light. Fresh fruit only. Good but no cobbler...yummm. Enjoy!!
ReplyDeleteThat looks soooooo good!
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother has that same cookbook and she uses recipes from it all the time; although she doesn't have to actually use the book anymore. :)
ReplyDeletemy mom had that same book and made that same cobbler from it.
ReplyDeletewe never complained either..lol
*Beth Fish - Interesting that you note that biscuit topping for cobbler is most traditional! Southern cobbler tends to be a bit more like cake (in fact I've often taken a box of cake and dumped it on top of fruit with a stick of melted butter...). This book sure is a treasure!
ReplyDelete*Libby - LOL! Rubber bands, huh? I'm sure that like me it's a cookbook that you treasure as much for the memories as for the recipes!
*Diane - I'll be the first to admit that the cookbook is pretty out-of-date, but there are still some reliable go-to recipes in there. Always use for apple pie!
*JoAnn - It's definitely funny to look through--though there are some pretty classic recipes in there. Used it to cook waffles this morning. Mmmm!
*AlleluiaLu - There's something about cooking that makes you nostalgic for cooking with mom, huh? I rarely pick up my brand new BC recipe book...this one seems more like home, you know?
*Kim - It's SO funny to see all the people who recognize this cookbook! I'm going to have to try her biscuits...funny that I've never thought to look in her book for bread!
*SuziQ - Your cobbler sounds just as delicious and I'm definitely going to try it sometime. I love the summer when the fruit is just too good not to eat every which way!
*Anita - Pie crust layers in cobbler sounds really wonderful! But I'm betting that even with just fresh fruit you're getting your sweet fill this summer! ;)
*Amanda - The filling is also great in plain yogurt. Love it!
*Trisha - I have some recipes that I've done so many times that I probably don't need to consult the book either but still do!
*Caite - LOL!! How could you complain with cobbler?! ;)
The cobbler looks great. The standard go to cookbook here in NZ is the Edmonds Cookbook - which everyone has a copy of - very oldfashioned but it is still being published.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
This is our family's go-to cookbook, too!
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious! I will have to try it. I grew up in the south so the topping will be a new experiment for me.
ReplyDeleteI have this cookbook! Was a wedding present from my Mom in 1981, so, not sure what edition that is w/out looking. My Mom has an even older edition
ReplyDeleteMy go to cookbook is Gloria Vanderbilt's complete cookbook. I love the lemon meringue pie, and he cream puffs are to die for Peach cobler and so many other things. We all need a go to book. My copy is barely holding together, but I'll have to break down at some point and rebind it. I believe the drawings were done by Andy Warhol. Your cobbler looks yummy, and yoghurt topping what a good idea.
ReplyDeleteI have the yellow Betty Crocker Microwave cookbook. it came out in 1981. My father-in-law gave it to us for a wedding gift, along with the microwave, 25 years ago. Still use it occasionally, specially for the chocolate peanut pudding cake. My other falling apart book is a Five Roses Flour cookbook, 25th edition. Thiis is the one from which we got the recipe to make our wedding cake. I use this book continually mostly for the pancakes> would love to find a copy that"s in better shape> Love t section on using whole wheat flour.
ReplyDeleteI agree that old-fashioned cookbooks are the way to go when looking for good recipes for classics and comfort food. My mom relied on Better Homes and Gardens (which now sits on my kitchen bookshelf) and various cookbooks by Canadian Living because they triple-test their recipes. My grandma gave me my first cookbook in 1983 when I wasn't allowed to turn on the oven by myself, and I still use that cookbook today. Now that I have two young kids, I find they'll eat the stuff out of those old-school cookbooks much more readily than anything that would be found in a newer cookbook (although I have to admit a preference for newer salads and fish recipes, etc.).
ReplyDeleteI don't really have a book that goes back that long. My mom rarely used cookbooks, it is just me. This cobbler looks lovely though. I didn't even know what it was to be honest :)
ReplyDelete*Carole - I'll have to look up Edmonds Cookbook! I'm not familiar with it ata all.
ReplyDelete*Carrie K - There's some good recipes in here, huh? Also some kind of questionable ones (an entire section on molded salad?!). :)
*Hillary Roberts - The topping that I'm used to is more cake-like than biscuit. Is that what you're used to as well?
*Terri B - How funny!! JoAnn and I were tweeting pictures from our book yesterday. The Jeweled Fruit Cake looked especially... um... :)
*Irene - I'll have to look into Gloria Vanderbilt's book! I'm not familiar with it. I've been on the search for a good lemon meringue pie! My mom's copy definitely needs to be rebound sometime soon!
*Heather - Do you cook the pudding cake in the microwave?! LOL! I haven't heard of the Five Roses Flour cookbook but will look into it! Homemade pancakes are so easy and delicious, huh?
*Teatimereader - So interesting that your kids are more likely to eat from the old cookbooks rather than the newer ones! There are some strange and outdated recipes in my betty crocker book but the classic ones are tough to beat. Sometimes I feel new recipes are getting too fancy!
*Uniflame - Leeswammes/Judith mentioned a cobbler type recipe that she cooks that might be more similar to what you're used to. Basically just a cakey type of mixture on top of yogurt, ice cream, custard, etc.
Hi Trish: I feel so discombobulated of late, could you point me to the schedule for reading the Stand. I'm doing good on it, so I don't want to get beyond where we are suppose to be. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIrene - Chapter 48 by July 1st but I might try to do a feeler post this week to see where everyone is. From chitchat on twitter it seems some folks are really far ahead! Some even have already finished!!
DeleteThat's looking really good Trish!
ReplyDeleteMy copy is from 1971 and is very very worn! My pie dough recipe is from there and everyone says I make the best pie dough. Your cobbler is simply to die for, gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteTHAT. LOOKS. AMAZING. (yum)
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way about the older editions of The Joy of Cooking and The Vegetarian Epicure that you do about Betty. They're my go-tos, the ones I learned to cook from with my mother, and I have found new-old versions at used book sales. Thank goodness for people clearing out their home libraries, eh? *grin*
Yum, yum, yum!!! I just LOVE fruit desserts. They're always my favorites.. and berries top my list! I have a cookbook devoted to berry desserts that I just adore. It's called ... wait for it... Luscious Berry Desserts! ; )
ReplyDeleteAs for cookbooks that are "old treasures" to me.. probably the ones that I read A LOT when I was first on my own and learning to cook. I used to take these to my bedroom and read them like a novel at night. ^_^
*Gnoe - What doesn't taste good with nice ice cream?! ;)
ReplyDelete*Peggy Ann - I use the Betty Crocker pie dough recipe as well--though her Apple Pie recipe is one of my absolute favorites!
*Cecelia - I was talking with my mom yesterday about this post and she mentioned Joy of Cooking and I can't believe that I don't own my own copy!! And yes--I'm not sure why people are ditching their staple recipe books but great for us, huh?! ;)
*Christine - Lucious Berry Desserts sounds DEVINE!! I think we've talked before about canning--I was going through my Ball Canning cookbook last night and would love to try some of the canning recipes to have some "fresh" fruit in winter but all of the recipes have so much sugar! And funny you mention reading cookbooks in the bedroom. I've been doing the same lately. Have thought about writing a post about what I've been "reading" these days...cookbooks!
This is one of my favorite subjects so I'll try and keep my comments to a reasonable length. I have some treasures from the library booksale, including an original Crock Pot Cookbook and a Boston Cooking School cookbook from 1915 (what originally became the Fanny Farmer Cookbook). The Crockpot Cookbook includes a recipe for squirrel in cream.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite vintage cookbook is called 'The Vegetarian Epicure' and includes a section on an 'Afters' course to be served sometime after dinner, and I quote from the book "which is especially helpful if grass is smoked socially at your house-- if a joint was passed before dinner to sharpen gustatory perceptions, chances are, one will be passed after, and you know what that means; the blind munchies can strike at any time".
My baking 'bible' is the King Arthur Flour 250th Anniversary Cookbook, definitely worth having to refer to for the recipes as well as the general advice on making successful bread, pastry, sourdough, you name it.
It's not quite old enough to be considered vintage, but I just bought a copy of Sundays at Moosewood Cookbook which is proving to be lots of fun and delicious so far. Moosewood pioneered vegetarian cooking back in the day.
ReplyDelete*Shieldmaden96 - LOL--don't ever worry about keeping comments a reasonable length here. I'm a rambler and love rambling comments. ;) Sorry it's taken me a few days to get back to you. I'm dying to know if you've cooked the squirrel in cream. I can just imagine your Unfinished Husband out in the PA woods shootin' squirrels. ;) And I'll have to check out the KAF cookbook! I've recently discovered them and I've only used their deep dish pizza recipe but it's one of our favorites. Plus I can take all the advice I can get when it comes to bread!
ReplyDelete*CB James - I'll have to look up Moosewood Cookbook! I'm not a vegetarian but have been looking for new ways to sneak veggies into our diet--sounds like a great one!
I've never made the squirrel and I'm the one who would be more inclined to handle a firearm than himself, but there are lots of other great recipes in that cookbook that don't involve poaching local wildlife that I hope to try.
ReplyDeleteI also recommend the Moosewood Cookbooks; I have several of them and use them frequently. We aren't vegetarians either but meat has more of a supporting role much of the time in my cooking. I also have 'How it all Vegan' and 'Garden of Vegan' which has a lot of tasty recipes that happen to be vegan; I enjoy them and employ those cookbooks when I bring a dish to pass to a dinner where I know there are people with dairy allergies or other concerns.
*Shieldmaiden - Thank you so much for the suggestions to check out! Like I told CB above, I don't cook a lot of vegetarian or vegan meals but have been looking for ways to incorporate more greens in our diet. And your comment about handling a firearm made me laugh. :)
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