I grew up in Northwest Arkansas and moved to Tyler in 1996. Growing up, I would visit my grandparents in Little Rock about once a month. My grandmother was a phenomenal cook and always had two desserts from scratch ready when my family would arrive. I have so many heartwarming memories of enjoying her amazing fresh fruit cobblers in the summertime. We would sit around her table and enjoy the cobbler while sharing stories. My mother also made amazing cobblers from fruit that we would pick ourselves. Our family cobbler always seemed like the best cobbler ever made, and it will always feel that way to me because of the positive memories it brings me every time I eat it with family.
About six years ago, I realized that my body could not properly digest gluten and dairy. I do not miss much of the food I used to eat as a kid, since I’ve learned how to make lots of delicious recipes that nourish my body without gluten and dairy. But one of the things I do miss is my grandmother’s cobbler.
After trying out different recipes using ingredients that I can eat, I finally found a blackberry-blueberry cobbler that is just as tasty as my grandmother’s. Though my cobbler definitely has different ingredients than the one I ate as a kid, I am making new memories eating this one with my children, while teaching them how they can cook to nourish their bodies.
Recipe for Blackberry-Blueberry Cobbler, dairy and gluten-free:
3 cups blueberries, plus 3 cups blackberries (local are best! I recommend berries from Alford Family Farm)
Âľ cup plus 1 Âľ teaspoon organic cornstarch or tapioca flour
6 Tbsp. maple syrup
5 ÂĽ Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
5 ÂĽ Tbsp. coconut milk or almond milk
1 3/4 Tbsp. ground cinnamon, divided
3/4 cup almond flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
5 ÂĽ teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ½ Tbsp coconut sugar, divided
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking dish (I use coconut oil).
In a bowl, combine blueberries, blackberries, 2 ÂĽ teaspoons cornstarch or tapioca flour, maple syrup and 2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon. Stir the mixture; then place in the baking dish.
In a different bowl, combine the baking powder, almond flour and Âľ cup cornstarch or tapioca flour, coconut milk, coconut oil, vanilla extract and 2 ÂĽ Tbsp. coconut sugar. Combine this mixture and place spoonfuls of batter over the berry mixture.
Next, sprinkle 2 ÂĽ Tbsp. of coconut sugar and 1 Tbsp. cinnamon on top of the dish.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.
I like to enjoy this cobbler with a big scoop of dairy free coconut ice cream.
Ashley Graham is a certified functional medicine health coach and the owner of Four Pillars Health Coaching. She coaches clients on how to balance their four pillars of health — nutrition, sleep, movement and stress management —and works to build motivation and confidence, renew hope, find inner wisdom and help create realistic goals that lead to lasting behavior change. She addresses client successes and setbacks through the lens of positive psychology. You can follow her on Instagram or Facebook
@fourpillarshealthcoaching.
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