Made with mostly pantry staples, this chocolate cobbler comes together quickly for a warm and comforting dessert. Serve with generous scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Chocolate cobbler is one of those old-school recipes that has endured for decades because of its genius simplicity and seemingly magical transformation in the oven. It is also one of the most deliciously warm and comforting desserts you’ll ever find. It’s easy enough to throw together on a weeknight, but you’ll want to make it for company. It’s good any time of year, but it’s especially good to tuck into on a cold winter’s night.
If you have considerations for Veganuary (which is a popular thing, I hear!) this recipe can easily be altered. Butter could be swapped for Earth Balance ‘buttery sticks’ (margarine) and milk for oat or another plant-based milk. Also be sure your chocolate chips are a dairy-free brand such as .
The final step before the cobbler bakes is to pour boiling water over everything in the dish, which sounds totally bananas, but it works. No stirring allowed! All of those layers will transform in the oven to a crackled, chewy crust with chocolate pudding hidden underneath.
There will be a bit of jiggle to the cobbler when it comes out of the oven, and you don’t have to worry about the middle being underdone – remember, there are no eggs in this dish. It’s supposed to be completely ooey-gooey underneath that crackled crust.
The cobbler will need to cool slightly before digging in. The pudding underneath will be molten and too hot to eat at first. This dish is best served warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream which cuts the richness and creates pools of cold cream over the warm chocolate pudding (swoon). If you don’t have any ice cream, then freshly whipped cream is lovely, too.
Yields 8-10 servings
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 185g) salted butter
1 cup (120g) self-rising flour *see recipe notes
1/2 cup (3 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup (160g) packed light brown sugar, divided
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, divided
7 tablespoons (67.5g) unsweet dark cocoa powder, divided
1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) boiling water
Vanilla ice cream to serve
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Place the butter in an 11×7-inch baking dish (or similar size such as 8×8 square, I used a 1 1/2-quart round dish). Place the dish in the oven until the butter melts completely, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, chocolate chips, 1/2 cup (105 g) of the brown sugar, 1/3 cup (65g) of the granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons (30g) of the cocoa. In a separate measuring pitcher with a pour spout, combine the milk and vanilla; mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until batter forms with no streaks of flour remaining.
Dollop the batter over the melted butter in the pan but do not stir. The batter will sink and the butter will pool to the top.
In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining 5 tablespoons (37.5 g) of cocoa, 1/4 cup (55g) of brown sugar, and 2/3 cup (135g) of granulated sugar. Whisk to combine. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the baking dish. Do not stir.
Gently pour the boiling water over the layered mixture in the pan. Do not stir.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the crust is formed and set on top. Cobbler may jiggle a little when removed from the oven, this is normal. Let cool slightly before portioning warm cobbler to dishes; top with scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator. Re-warm bowls of cobbler in the microwave, or reheat ramekins of cobbler in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Notes:
If you don’t have salted butter, add a pinch of salt to the batter.
If you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Use in place of self-rising flour in this recipe.
