Tuesday's Food: Mason Jar Cobbler

There are a few things in my house that I love to use for multiple things, and mason jars are one of those. You can use a mason jar for the obvious: canning fruits and vegetables, making jams and salsa, and preparing gifts in a jar. I love the memories that also come from Po' Folks where they served all their drinks in mason jars. There's just something about that little jar that brings comfort. And then, there was cobbler...

I love cobbler. My husband loves cobbler. When we were dating, we loved going to Kaminsky's to share a mixed berry cobbler. The summer is the perfect time for cobbler because of the fresh fruit, but winter is just as good as that yummy deliciousness warms up a cool evening.

So last week I had extra blueberries that I needed to eat before they went bad. I didn't have enough to make a pie, but I knew that I wanted to make something special with them. As I was looking up healthy recipes for cobbler, I stumbled upon this wonderful idea of making pies in mason jars. Why in the world did I not think of that?! Each person can get his own jar of just the right amount of dessert, and you can see what you are getting. The website (in the link above) had a recipe for cobblers in the jar, which I have yet to try, but I was already set on what I decided on for cobbler. If you are following along, you can use the recipe I found or the recipe on the website, but either way, I suggest you do this. It's fun and yum!

"Healthier Blueberry Cobbler": (Note: it is a blueberry recipe, but you can use any fruit. The first time I did this recipe, I used 4 cups of blueberries and 2 cups of blackberries)

6 cups blueberries

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup regular oats

3/4 teaspoon ground cinammon

1/2 tsp nutmeg*

4-1/2 tablespoons chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces

3/4 teaspoon ground cinammon

2 cups vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt

Note: to reduce calories and fat even more, serve without the frozen yogurt


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; spoon enough cobbler in each jar that it is just over half the jar*. Lightly spoon flour into a measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine 2/3 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon, nutmeg* and cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over the blueberry mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Top each serving with 1/4 cup frozen yogurt.


*Note: the italicized and starred parts are my addition or change to the recipe.

Not only is this a really cool dessert, but you can freeze it (once they are cool) and pull out when you are ready to serve. They are also great to put in your or your husband's lunch. Give this a shot and see what you think! What is your favorite type of cobbler? What other things can you think of trying to make in a mason jar? Think outside the box and share!