Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 6 tablespoons very cold, unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
  • 1 1/2 pounds ripe apricots, pitted and cut into eighths
  • 2 cups blackberries
  • 1/2 to 2/3 cups dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup creme fraiche (sour cream or Greek yogurt can also work, but creme fraiche is best)
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • Raw cane sugar, for sprinkling

Method

  • Heat your oven to 375° F. In a medium-small bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Using your fingers or two knives, quickly rub or cut the cold butter chunks into the flour mixture until you have incorporated it so that it looks crumbly with pea-sized chunks of butter remaining. Stick this in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
  • While the dough ingredients rest in the refrigerator, gently toss the apricots and blackberries with the brown sugar and cornstarch. If the apricots are sweet, use only 1/2 cup sugar, but if they are on the tart side, you can use 2/3 cup. Scrape the fruit mixture into a 3-quart baking dish or large skillet.
  • Take the flour and butter mixture back out of the refrigerator. Stir in the creme fraiche, almond extract, and heavy cream just until everything comes together in a shaggy mess -- there will probably still be some dry parts.
  • Gather this dough mess together with your hands and press it into a ball, kneading it about 3 times -- as few times as possible to get the dough to come together -- with the leftover dry bits. Either break the dough into walnut-sized chunks, flatten each slightly, and lay them atop the fruit or, if you prefer a neater look, gently press the dough out into a rectangle around 3/4-inch thick, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares, and lay these evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the topping lightly with raw cane sugar.
  • Bake the cobbler in the oven until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown and crisped around the edges, about 35 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving (so no one scalds their mouth). Serve topped with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or both. The cobbler can be made ahead and rewarmed. Leftovers can be kept covered for a day or two and rewarmed before serving as well.