Royal Apple Cobbler {recipe}

There is nothing better then a warm apple cobbler on a cold fall night (with or without ice cream). I eat mine with hot tea. I love apple pies, but there is something to sophisticated and delicious about a cobbler. I've made different cobblers - from peach to mixed berry yet Pioneer Woman's recipe for blackberry cobbler is the best. I used her recipe but changed couple of things.

- First, I used apples with blackberries. Apples alone seem a little boring and a blackberry cobbler is way too expensive (this time of year). So I've used one pint of blackberries to add color and taste to the apples. Perfection!

- Next, I do not like shortening. Honestly, something about it makes me feel like my butt is expanding while I'm adding it to the recipe. I substituted it with canola oil which is the best for cooking.

- Lastly, I sprinkled the top with almonds. I love how the creamy inside mixed with the crunchy nuts makes for the best taste and texture.



Ingredients

• 1 pint of Blackberries
• 4 medium Tart Cooking Apples 
• 1/2 cup Plus 4 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1/2 whole Zest Of Lemon
• 2 cups Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 4-5 Tablesppoons Canola Oil
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 3-4 Tablespoons Almonds
• 1 whole Egg
• 1/2 cup Milk

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine blackberries, ½ cup sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Stir and spread out in a buttered Pyrex dish.

In a separate bowl pour flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Add oil and butter and work mixture together with a pastry blender (or your fingers) until the mixture is coarse. Measure ½ cup milk, add an egg, and mix together. Pour into flour mixture, stirring as you go. Mixture should be smooth and not dry, but not over sticky.

Take clumps of dough and place them on top of the blackberries. Lightly flatten dough with your fingertips. Sprinkle with 3 to 4 tablespoons of almond and bake until golden for 30 minutes. Berry juice will be slightly thin, but don’t be afraid. It will gradually soak into the biscuit-like topping and make your life complete.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and hot tea.