Vegan Fruit Cobbler/Buckle

When we were headed to Minnesota to say goodbye to my mother, some dear friends offered to make us dinner before we drove so that we didn't have to worry about cooking and cleaning. Luckily, these friends are well-versed in Shana's food idiosyncrasies; they are one of the few places she will go without knowing what's being served in advance. Plus, one of them went to culinary school, so he is an amazing cook!

For dessert, we ate something our friends called a cobbler. Actually, we ate two. There was a non-vegan black raspberry cobbler (perhaps Shana's favorite fruit ever) and a vegan black cherry cobbler. I can't vouch for the non-vegan version (though Shana gobbled it up), but the vegan version was freaking amazing. He gave me the recipe, so I had to make it at home.

When I get a new recipe, I generally do a bit of "creative googling" to see what else is out there in the vegan and non-vegan interwebs. In my investigation before writing up this post, I learned that there's a lot of variation in dishes labeled "cobbler." The wiki (I know, I know) article about cobblers lists a whole variety of dishes with somewhat similar ingredients but often wildly different preparations. The recipe below could be a cobbler (given the variability inherent in what that means), but it could also be a buckle. Whatever you call it, it's delicious!

Fresh from the oven.

Ready for my face!

Vegan Fruit Cobbler/Buckle
Ingredients
1 1/3 c. flour
1 c. sugar, plus 1/4 c. for sprinkling
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. light vanilla soymilk
1/2 c. (one stick) Earth Balance, melted
2 c. fruit of choice

Directions
Preheat oven to 325.
1. Combine flour, 1 c. sugar, baking powder, and salt, whisking well to combine.
2. Add soymilk and stir well.
3. Add melted butter, stir well.
4. Pour mixture into an 8" round or 8x8" greased pan.
5. Dump fruit over batter (or spread evenly). Optionally, press fruit down slightly. I did not do this.

6. Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Sprinkle 1/4 c. sugar over baking cobbler/buckle after about 40 minutes in the oven.

Helpful Hints

• You can use any type of fruit you'd like this this dish. I've made it once with blackberries and once with raspberries. But, berries are the only thing you can use. If you want peaches, use peaches! 
• Fresh or frozen fruit will work in this recipe. If you use frozen fruit, your baking time may be a bit longer. 
• Speaking of freshness, your baking powder MUST be fresh! If you've had the same canister sitting around for 6-12 months, go get a new one. Seriously. 
• I prefer an 8" round for this dish, as the cobbler/buckle gets a bit deeper. 
• I also like this slightly warm. If you're feeling crazy, add a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream!

The post "Vegan Fruit Cobbler/Buckle" originally appeared on Maggie's LesVegan Kitchen.