Blackberry cobbler with dumplings is an old fashioned southern dessert that’s a classic for a reason. With a thick, juicy filling made of sweet and tart berries and crispy, buttery pie crust, this delicious dessert is the definition of summer. Although this cobbler would be great with just a top and bottom crust, the addition of pie crust dumplings to the filling is surprisingly good. If you want to learn more about this version of blackberry cobbler, keep reading!

What Are Cobbler Dumplings?

Like pies, most cobblers have a top and bottom crust, the juicy fruit filling and crispy pie crust creating a delicious combination of textures.

In addition to crust on top and / or bottom, some old fashioned southern cobbler recipes call for adding small pieces of pie crust to the fruit filling. Although putting pie crust inside the cobbler may sound odd, it’s common in southern recipes like my easy apple cobbler with pie crust.

In fact, some recipes like southern blackberry dumplings call for cooking fruit on the stove, adding pie crust dumplings, and then eating it like that–without making a cobbler. If you’re looking for a quick and easy dessert similar to pie or cobbler, it’s perfect.

Why Add Dumplings to Blackberry Cobbler?

Although it might seem odd, there are many reasons why you might add dumplings to blackberry cobber:

Thicken the filling – A little bit of flour comes off the dumplings as they cook, thickening the filling.
Cut the bitterness – Blackberry seeds are slightly bitter, so adding pie crust to the filling helps to cut the bitterness, as well as some of the tartness.
Add more texture – The combination of crispy pie crust on top and soft, pillowy dumplings inside is fantastic.

If you’ve never added pie crust dumplings to blackberry cobbler, you’re probably afraid the dumplings would turn out leathery or rubbery. Actually, the exact opposite happens: they turn out soft and pillowy, absorbing some of the sweet juice as they cook.

It’s definitely possible to have too much of a good thing–as I will share later in this recipe article–but a good balance between crust on top and dumplings inside blackberry cobbler can take your dessert to the next level.

Southern Blackberry Cobbler with Dumplings — Many southern cobblers, including this blackberry cobbler recipe, call for adding small pieces of pie crust to the fruit filling.

How to Make Blackberry Cobbler with Dumplings

Although my blackberry cobbler with pie crust recipe had dumplings, it had both a top and bottom crust as well. It was good, but I thought it had too much pie crust–there is definitely such a thing as “too much of a good thing.”

I wanted to make another cobbler that would have less pie crust, causing the dumplings to stand out a bit more. The recipe has a number of steps, but as long as you follow my instructions, it’s easy to make.

Making the Blackberry Filling

The first step in making blackberry cobbler with dumplings is making the filling. As usual, I used frozen blackberries, but if you have access to good-quality fresh berries, feel free to use those. Since you’re going to cook the berries on the stove, it doesn’t matter if they are fresh or frozen.

To make the filling, combine 3 cups of blackberries (fresh or frozen–and if frozen, no need to thaw since you’re going to cook them), sugar, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and some water in a pot on the stove. Although adding water may seem odd, you need some extra liquid so that the berries don’t burn.

Once the blackberry filling comes to a boil, continue boiling on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring fairly constantly. At the end of the 10 minutes, add a cornstarch slurry, stir to combine, and then turn off the heat–the cobbler filling is now done.

Adding the Dumplings

How to Add Dumplings to Blackberry Cobbler

Once the filling is done, it’s time to add the dumplings. Although it may look intimidating, it’s easy:

Cut a pie crust into strips – As if you were making a lattice top…maybe about 1/2 inch thick.
Cut the strips into smaller pieces – Maybe about an inch long. Making some dumplings bigger and thicker, some smaller and thinner, will make your cobbler look more homemade and rustic.
Drop the pie crust dumplings into the blackberry filling, and then stir to combine – Some of the dumplings will fall apart, but that’s exactly what you want. This will help to distribute the dumplings evenly throughout the filling.

How Many Dumplings Should I Add?

When I made this blackberry cobbler with dumplings in the summer of 2021, I added a lot of dumplings–an entire 9-inch pie crust. It was definitely a lot of dumplings, but it worked because:

I used a lattice top, not a solid crust.
There was no bottom crust

Since there was less pie crust than in other recipes, cutting up an entire 9-inch pie crust into dumplings worked out. However, looking back, if you want a blackberry cobbler with a top crust, bottom crust, and dumplings, I would recommend only adding leftover dough from the top crust–no more than 1/2 cup of dough.

Assembling the Blackberry Cobbler

No Bottom Crust?

I learned that you can have too much pie crust when I made blackberry cobbler in 2020. That cobbler had a double crust, along with strips of pie dough in the filling that became dumplings as the cobbler cooked. That was definitely way too much dough.

So, when I made blackberry cobbler again in the summer of 2021, I learned my lesson and used less pie crust. Although you might be afraid that the cobbler won’t hold its shape when cut without a bottom crust, the slices held their shape surprisingly well.

Putting on the Lattice Top Crust

Instead of using a solid top crust, I decided to add a lattice top. Lattice tops help more of the liquid in the filling to evaporate, helping to thicken it with less cornstarch, flour, or other thickening agent.

I also like the old fashioned look of southern cobblers with lattice tops. If you want a solid top, I would add a bit more cornstarch, but honestly, I think this blackberry cobbler looked great with a lattice top.

Once the cobbler was fully assembled, I sprinkled it with some extra sugar and put it in the oven to bake.

Old Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler with Lattice Top — This old fashioned blackberry cobbler with a lattice top looks like something grandma would have made.

A Chef’s Review

This old fashioned southern blackberry cobbler with dumplings was a success. After learning from the cobbler I made in the summer of 2020, I used less pie crust by leaving out the bottom crust, leaving the dumplings and the lattice top as the stars of the show.

Although I thought this cobbler had a good amount of dumplings, some people might think it had too many. You could use just half of a pie crust to make the dumplings, and I think it would still be good.

I would like to continue tweaking this recipe in the future, but I was definitely happy with how it turned out. It was a good example of how learning from past issues and changing recipes as time goes on can lead to great things.

Possible Changes

Even though this blackberry cobbler was great, I’d like to experiment with a few things in the future:

Brown Sugar – Although I see almost no blackberry cobbler recipes on the Internet that call for brown sugar, I think a bit of molasses would combine well with the berries.
Lemon Zest – I added lemon juice to this cobbler, so I’m curious how increasing the lemon flavor would turn out.
Pineapple Juice – Pineapple is sweet and tart, as are blackberries, so I think the two flavors would go together well. Cooking the berries in pineapple juice instead of water would be an interesting thing to try.
Evaporated milk or other dairy – As previously stated, blackberry seeds are bitter. In a video on her YouTube channel, Ms. Tammy of Collard Valley Cooks suggests that adding evaporated milk to blackberry cobbler can help cut the bitterness. I noticed I really liked the cobbler with a bit of ice cream, so evaporated milk, milk, or even cream might be good additions. In the video she mentions that cream can’t be brought to a boil without curdling, so maybe the dairy would have to be added at serving time…
Double crust, fewer dumplings – There’s just something about a double crust fruit pie or cobbler. Cutting down on the number of dumplings and adding a bottom crust would be a good way to switch up this recipe.

Blackberry Cobbler with Ice Cream — Some sort of dairy, like ice cream or evaporated milk, helps to balance out the bitterness in blackberry seeds.

Other Blackberry Cobbler Recipes

If you love southern blackberry cobbler as much as I do, take a look at these other recipes:

Blackberry Cobbler with Pie Crust – This triple-crust cobbler has plenty of delicious crust.

Seedless Blackberry Cobbler – If you’re tired of seeds getting stuck in your teeth, this recipe is for you.

3-Ingredient Blackberry Dump Cake – This easy recipe is perfect for beginner cooks.