Mimi’s Famous Skillet Blackberry Cobbler
This skillet blackberry cobbler looks and tastes made from scratch but actually uses frozen berries and refrigerated crust. No one will EVER know!
Everyone RAVES over this skillet blackberry cobbler.
This Skillet Blackberry Cobbler is my favorite dessert~hands down (served with vanilla ice cream, of course). It tastes like a homemade from scratch dessert just like my grandmother would have made. If you want a to-die-for dessert that is easy to make and that folks will rave over, bookmark this one. So fab! For those of us who’ve eaten the real thing, it is FAMOUS!
This blackberry cobbler is an old family recipe.
The skillet blackberry cobbler recipe came from Zane’s mom (we all call her Mimi). She has made this cobbler forever, and she shared the recipe with me years ago. I’ve made it more times than I can count, and everyone, literally everyone, raves over it. That is why I call it “Mimi’s Famous Skillet Blackberry Cobbler.”
Refrigerated pie crust works beautifully in this recipe.
Mimi often makes her own crust for this, but I use refrigerated with GREAT results. I use Pillsbury refrigerated crusts that come 2 crusts to a box. You’ll use both for this recipe~one crust on the bottom and the other one for the top. Of course, you can make your own crusts if you desire, but the easy way is so fabulous, you should try it first and see.
Tips on the pie crusts.
Here are a few tips on using refrigerated crusts for this recipe. You can also watch how I do it in the video below. Some folks are intimidated by rolling crusts, but you don’t need to be. Read (and watch) my tips below.
- Don’t worry about small nicks or tears when unrolling; you don’t have to be perfect.
- The crust doesn’t have to completely cover the bottom or sides of the skillet. Just go as far as you can.
- You’ll bake the bottom crust first at one temp and then raise the temp for the rest. Be sure to remember this.
- Both crusts will be pricked with a fork before baking.
- Watch the cobbler as the end of baking nears. If it is too brown on the edges, open the door, rotate, and keep watching. Opening the door several times helps slow cooking if it is too high.
- The center crust will be lighter than the edges; just make sure it is firm to the touch before removing.
Tips on the blackberries:
- I prefer using frozen berries and recommend them for this recipe.
- Use 2 bags of blackberries. Bags usually come in 10 oz and 12 oz. You can use either with no problem. But if you use two 12 oz bags, the berries will be higher and the crust won’t be as even. If this bothers you, just use less.
- Berries are tossed in a mixture of sugar, flour, and butter. In the video, I tossed in sugar/flour (forgot the butter). It actually worked GREAT. I just poured the butter over, tossed it again, and it was perfect.
- Wear gloves to prevent blackberry stains on your hands.
Make-ahead tips:
- This skillet blackberry cobbler takes less than an hour to make from start to finish. However, you can cut a smidge of prep time by making the cobbler to the point of baking and placing it (unbaked) into the freezer. When you are ready to enjoy it, it can go from the freezer to the (preheated) oven and will cook in roughly 45 minutes.
- Make this a few hours before serving if you want a thicker blackberry filling inside. If you serve right after removing it from the oven, the filling will be more liquid-y.
- Serve with ice cream~always:-)
- Reheat leftovers (unlikely) in a toaster oven or oven for a better crust. The microwave will soften the crust.
Which skillet is best for this cobbler?
I use a Lodge 12″ cast iron skillet for this blackberry cobbler. Lodge is the best (per most cooks) cast iron. It is made in Tennessee, which is a huge plus for those of us who love “made in the USA”:-). The 12″ version is a perfect size and is the one shown in all the photos of my cobbler. You can buy this skillet several on amazon, and also here at Wal-Mart.
I so hope you’ll try this fave family recipe of mine. If so, please let me hear from you in the comments. As always, thanks so much for stopping by. Be blessed, and stay savvy!!!

Mimi's Famous Skillet Blackberry Cobbler
A rave worthy blackberry cobbler that is easy to make and always a hit!
Ingredients
- 1 box of 2 refrigerated pie crusts (I prefer Pillsbury)
- 2 (10-14 oz) bags frozen blackberries
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1 1/3 cups sugar (for berries)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/4 cup sugar (to sprinkle on crust before baking)
- 1/2 stick butter, cut into small cubes (to dot onto crust before baking)
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Unroll one pie crust and place in bottom and up sides of 12 " cast iron skillet.
- Pierce bottom and sides of crust with a fork.
- Bake 7 minutes; remove from oven.
- Increase oven temp to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix melted butter, 1 1/3 cups sugar, and all of flour.
- Put berries in bowl with butter/sugar/flour mixture; toss until berries are covered and mixture is crumbly.
- Gently pour berries into skillet; sprinkle water over berries.
- Unroll second pie crust over top of berries, seal crust at the edge of the skillet.
- Scatter the small pieces of butter on top of the crust.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar on top of crust.
- Cut tiny slits in top of pie crust.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until bubbly at edges and beginning to brown on top.
- (I highly recommend a pie shield to keep edges of crust from over browning.)
Nutrition Information
Yield 12 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 353Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 30mgSodium 211mgCarbohydrates 45gFiber 1gSugar 27gProtein 2g
Hi Kelley, I’ve never had this happen! Are you using a skillet? I use either a 10″ (minimum) or 12-13″ so that the cobbler sits a few inches below the top rim. I hope this helps!! Otherwise, you might just melt the butter and pour/brush it on the crust?