Not Martha

to make: cobbler baked in jars

I made these for the Seattle Bake Sale for Share Our Strength organized by Frantic Foodie (thanks Keren!). I had so much fun making pies in jars that I figured this was the perfect opportunity to bake something else in jars. This time I used half-pint wide mouth jars, a nice size for a bake sale.

(Half pint jars washed and drying.)

I used the blueberry cobbler recipe from Baking Illustrated. I was making 24 portions so the first time I tried to divide each recipe between 8 jars (making three total recipes worth). It was just enough that the blueberry mixture bubbled over each jar. Pretty, yes, but too sticky for a bake sale. So I made two batches of berries (each divided into 12 jars) and, at the suggestion of Scott, Official Cobbler Taster, I made three batches of biscuit topping (each divided into 8 jars). I might have thrown off the biscuit-to-fruit ratio, you may want to make two batches of each fruit and biscuits if you’re a purist.

(Look! The berry mixture didn’t boil up and spill over the tops this time!)

These are great for bake sales because the packing is an eye catcher. These are great for picnics because when you’re done you can put the top back on (containing the stickiness) until you get home and can wash them (blueberry is surprisingly easy to wash off). I have not yet tried to freeze and reheat these, but I suspect it wouldn’t work nearly as well as for the pie variant. I think dividing these among pint jars would work just as well, mmm, more blueberries.

The recipe, with notes on actually making it in jars, is below.

Seriously, the cornmeal added to the biscuit batter makes all the difference here. I might be biased, I [heart] cornmeal.

I call this mise en jars, I used the washed jars from the overflowing and sticky (but sooo worth it) test batch.

For each batch I used a 10-ounce package of frozen wild blueberries and, for the sake of economy, filled out the rest with locally grown (and gorgeous) frozen blueberries that are sold in 48-ounce bags.

The scent of these baked goods right here is amazing. I wish you could smell it through your browser.

I cut 3.25 inch diameter circles to lable the top of the jars and fit nicely between the layers of the screw on lids.

On the back of the label I listed things one might do with the leftover jar. My very first thought was using it as a vessel for the sipping of bourbon, all the other options took a bit more imagination to come up with.

Pro tip: keep the cardboard boxes the jars come packaged in, they make it nicely easy to deliver the finished goods. I was up late cutting out these circle labels, it was very much worth it.

Blueberry Cobbler in Jars

Recipe from Baking Illustrated, with notes for preparing for 24 half-pint, wide mouth jars by Megan Reardon, www.notmartha.org.

Baking these individual portions of blueberry cobbler in jars makes them handy for bringing to picnics, or for selling at bake sales which is what I did with these.

Filling (I made two batches)

  • 1/3 cup (3.5 ounces) sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • pinch ground cinnamon
  • pink salt
  • 6 cups (30 ounces) fresh blueberries, or 36 ounces frozen blueberries
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Biscuit Topping (I made three batches)

  • 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour (I used my BFF Sheperd’s Grain)
  • 2 tablespoons stone-ground cornmeal
  • 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for sprinkling)
  • 2 teaspoons sugar (for sprinkling)

If you’re baking these in 24 half-pint jars, I highly suggest (from experience, mind you) getting all your ingredients ready and mixed together (except the biscuit topping, then prep the dry ingredients separate from the wet ingredients as the recipe below indicates) ahead of time. I also highly suggest weighing or measuring out your frozen blueberries before letting them defrost as it’s far, far messier to do this when they are defrosted and have let off a bunch of juice that will stain your fingers, your counter top, your favorite comfy tank top and your kitchen towel. All this pertains especially, especially, if you’re waiting until 10:30 the night before to start baking.

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. For the filling: Stir the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt together in a large owl. Add the berries and mix gently with a rubber spatula until evenly coated; add the lemon zest and juice and mix to combine. Divide evenly between 12 half-pint jars. Place jars on a rimmed cookie sheet (lined with foil, if you dislike washing oversized dishes the way I do). Bake until the filling i shot and bubbling, about 25 minutes, 30 if you’ve used frozen berries.

3. For the biscuit topping: Whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Whisk the melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla together in a small bowl. Mix the 2 teaspoons sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. One minute before the berries come out of the oven, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; stir with a rubber spatual until just combined and no dry pockets remain.

4. To assemble and bake the cobbler: remove the berries from the oven; increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. (NOTE! It’s easy to overlook the immediately preceding instruction about increasing the oven temperature. Please back up and re-read until you walk to your oven and raise the temperature.) Divide each batch of dough into eight equal pieces and place each one in a jar on top of of the hot blueberries. (Heating the berries like this first helps the dough cook from both above and below.) Sprinkle each mound of dough with the cinnamon sugar. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through, 15 minutes, maybe 20 if you’re using frozen blueberries. Cool on a wire rack 20 minutes before serving or if you’re planning on taking them somewhere cool until just sort of warm before placing the lids on. (I let them sit overnight, just draped with sheets of parchment. I think that worked out ok. At least, I hope that worked out ok.)

baked cobbers, seen from overhead

You might also be interested in:

pies formed inside of small glass jars

Pies baked in jars, I made these a few years back. These are good to freeze before baking, then you can move them straight from the freezer into the oven, voila, a little bit of pie (almost) on demand. Also good if you’re baking for a large group and would like to assemble them a week or two in advance.

140 Comments

140 responses so far ↓

  • 1 mandee rae // Oct 18, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    megan- i tried out this recipe last weekend and they were a huge hit at the pot-luck wedding i brought them too. i accidentally bought the 4oz. jars instead of the 8oz. ones though! the result? even teeny tinier versions of your cobblers! so cute!! thanks for the tutorial. ~mandee rae
    http://mandeeblogs.blogspot.com/2011/10/make-me-teeny-tiny-blueberry-cobbler.html

  • 2 Kali // Nov 9, 2011 at 7:07 am

    Such a great idea! I bet this was a hit at the bake sale! They look yummy! I also heart cornmeal and blueberries! Thanks for sharing these amazing little deserts!

  • 3 Sarah // Jan 28, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    Hi I was wondering if you would think these would work for sending overseas in the mason jars, sealed. I recently made cake in mason jars and sealed them immediately after they were done baking in the oven. They were successfully shipped and eaten without going bad. Do you think the cobbler and pie recipe would work as well?

  • 4 megan // Jan 29, 2012 at 4:40 pm

    Hi Sarah – I’ve heard from food safety people that this is not safe for shipping or preservation. I have to recommend against shipping these in the hopes that they are not contaminated.

  • 5 Linda // Feb 4, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    Love this idea. How long will they keep once baked and cover with the lid?Thinking of doing this as wedding favors and would like to make them a few days before wedding. Also my daughter is using a strawberry theme so could I make a strawberry cobbler? Thanks so much for your wonderful blog.

  • 6 Estelle // Feb 9, 2012 at 4:30 am

    this idea is amazing! can we use any type of jar, or not? because I’m afraid that the jar may brake in the oven..
    citygirltoday.blogspot.com

  • 7 nancy // Feb 20, 2012 at 4:16 pm

    This is seriously one of the cutest and most delicious ideas I have ever seen! How exceptionally creative. I love it.

  • 8 Caitlin // Mar 13, 2012 at 11:29 pm

    These look awesome! What a great idea… Will definitely be making cobblers in jars this summer. I also liked the post about making pie crusts ahead of time in jars and freezing them! I like how many pictures you use to show what to do, and that you give a full description! Excellent blog.

  • 9 Debbie // Mar 18, 2012 at 9:37 am

    OMGoodness….I saw these and tried them this morning as a trial run for a library bake sale next month!!! Thinking these were too good to be true I wasn’t real sure of myself but these are too cute for words. I had 4 oz jars and decided to make a “taste”……..On my must do (over and over and over) list for bake sales, bunco snacks, Red Hat goodies…tooooo many to think of. Thank you so much for sharing!!!!!!

  • 10 danaeL // Mar 19, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    adorable! I also want to try

  • 11 Cindy // Apr 19, 2012 at 4:01 pm

    I want to pin this page onto pinterest, but don’t know how without you having a link button. I have found that ‘pinning’ things is the best way for me to remember to do them! Do you know how to do this, or can you add the pinning button here? Thanks!

  • 12 megan // Apr 20, 2012 at 12:59 pm

    Cindy – I can! And I will as soon as I get a chance (it will be a site-wide change). In the mean time I encourage you to install Pinterest’s bookmarklet called “Pin It”. The bookmarklet and instructions on how to install the button are at the top of this page right here:
    http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/

    Thanks Cindy!

  • 13 nicole // May 17, 2012 at 10:10 am

    Thank you for posting these! I had a bake sale for work yesterday and made both rhubarb crisp & blueberry cobbler in a jar for my contribution. It worked out great and was a big hit! Thanks again!

  • 14 Leslie // May 21, 2012 at 8:20 am

    I was wanting to do these for my baby shower. Would the glass 4oz baby food jars work for this recipe? Do you think the coppler topping would hold up if I made them the night before? Thanks for your help.

  • 15 Lindsay - Shop Ella Lou // May 22, 2012 at 12:09 pm

    I absolutely love desserts baked in jars. Not only are they practical, but they add a sense of whimsy to just about any occasion. I made cheesecake in jars just like these for a friend’s baby shower last year and they were the star of the meal. I can’t wait to try these cobblers (and thanks for the detailed instructions – very helpful!)!

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  • 18 paula // Sep 4, 2012 at 1:58 pm

    fyi, avery makes round (kraft paper) labels that are 2.5″ i think. i use them on my wine jelly which i package in the squat ball jars (8oz?). i think the wide mouth jars are a standard size, so should fit all. super easy with download-able software! love this idea. have you seen the weck jars–they would be so cute!

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  • 20 Cathy Polachek // Sep 26, 2012 at 6:51 pm

    You said you can go from the freezer to the oven, but do you not preheat the oven 1st? I’m just worried about having it shatter in the hot oven.

    Thanks for the idea! Can’t wait to try it!

  • 21 megan // Sep 26, 2012 at 7:53 pm

    Cathy – I put them right into the oven, maybe with a brief stop on the counter while the oven warmed up. Nothing shattered, but I can say that the makers of the jars definitely do not approve this use of the jars.

  • 22 Paula Bell // Dec 18, 2012 at 2:44 pm

    If you use the screw on lids (available at WalMart, etc), you can re-use the jars for overnight no cook refrigerator oatmeal…It is awesome!!!
    In a pint jar (but I am sure you can figure out how to half it)
    1/4 c uncooked old fashion rolled oats (no instant, quick or steel cut)
    1/3 c skim milk
    1/4c low fat greek yogurt
    1/2 tsp cinnamon
    1 tsp honey
    1/4 c unsweetened applesauce
    I also add chia seeds 1 1/2 tsps, for their healthy benefit.
    In jar add oats, yogurt, milk, honey, seeds and cinnamon and shake it up…then add the applesauce (more if you like or if it will fit). Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days…Eat chilled. Enjoy!!! Many fruit combinations are available. (http://www.theyummylife.com/Refrigerator_Oatmeal)

  • 23 Linda // Apr 8, 2013 at 6:33 am

    Thanks! This was the perfect dessert for our steeplechase party this weekend! My 8 year-old and I had so much fun making the cobbler (apple-blackberry), and everyone loved the jars. (We had a southern theme, so it was a perfect fit.) Great for sending home leftovers too. I know we’ll be making them again! :)

  • 24 Ana // Apr 9, 2013 at 8:23 pm

    Thx for the great idea! My son and I made peach cobbler for his class to enjoy during his presentation on the state of Georgia. I think I know what the jar discrepancy was. The taller regular rim half pint containers look much bigger than the short wide mouth jars that are also half pint. They both hold 8 ounces. The short wide mouth jars work great! I was very confused…the four ounce are very cute but I don’t think they make enough cobbler. We used Avery craft labels and they turned out adorable and delicious.

  • 25 JeanBean // Apr 30, 2013 at 6:16 am

    I love these and the pies in jars recipe. So cute and delicious looking.

    I’m planning on making the pies in jars for a bake sale. But I’m not sure whether to offer them as frozen, unbaked pies or as fully baked pies (would you leave the lid off?)

    Anyone sell pies in jars before? How did you offer them?

  • 26 megan // Apr 30, 2013 at 12:31 pm

    JeanBean – For bake sales I put all the lids on with a label. Then at the sale I open one jar so people can see what’s inside (like how grocers have one orange cut in half at the display). I sold them as baked and ready-to-eat pies and offered a bamboo utensil with each jar. Have a great sale!

  • 27 Gena // Jun 5, 2013 at 9:26 pm

    I made these a couple of times last summer for my family…scrumptious sweetness topped with vanilla ice cream…yum! I didn’t follow the recipe step-by-step, but it comes out yummy every time. So glad to find it again this summer. :D EASY and just enough sweet to make me happy…

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  • 30 Katie // Nov 25, 2013 at 5:25 pm

    Do you have to worry about the mason jars breaking from the heat of the oven??

  • 31 megan // Nov 25, 2013 at 5:34 pm

    Katie – Yes, be aware that that is a possibility. However, I’ve only had one crack when I went directly from the freezer to the oven, and even then the crack didn’t break the jar into pieces. But be careful and inspect the jars before you serve them.

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  • 33 haironfiresgirl // Apr 16, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    Megan~ I just discovered these mason jar cobblers and am so excited to make them for my daughter’s graduation shindig! I was fooled by the pictures (before I read carefully) and thought the jars for the small 4 oz jars. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the half-pints that are both wide-mouthed AND vertical on the sides (rather than having a body wider than the mouth). Anymore details about locating these would be very helpful!

  • 34 megan // Apr 16, 2014 at 4:36 pm

    haironfiresgirl – They are indeed 8 ounce wide mouth jars. I found them at a Fred Meyer store in Seattle. I think I just saw them at a QFC as well (a Kroger brand). They are Kerr brand jars, if that helps. Good luck! If nothing else a tall 8 ounce jar would show off the inside better – when these were sealed up the biscuit topping didn’t real show through the jar.

  • 35 Bethany // Jul 15, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    Hi! i was wondering if the mason jars have to be that small because i have the regular quart sized ones and i want to know if they’ll work? if so can i know the time and or temperature change to make sure they come out really well?

  • 36 megan // Jul 16, 2014 at 10:36 am

    Bethany – The jars don’t have to be this small but I’m afraid that I haven’t tried the recipe on quart sized jars so I’m unable to tell you how much longer to bake them for.

  • 37 Coco in the Kitchen // Oct 2, 2015 at 2:39 pm

    Adorable beyond words!

  • 38 Diana // Dec 14, 2015 at 3:34 pm

    What brand of jars did you use?
    I’m wanting to do cupcakes in jars, similar to this, but having a hard time finding jars that can be baked in the oven.
    Thanks

  • 39 megan // Dec 15, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    Diana – These were either Kerr or Ball brand canning jars. Neither brand can officially give a thumbs up to using these for baking vessels, but I had no trouble with them. On the occasion that I’ve frozen a small pie in a jar and transferred it right from the freezer to the oven to bake I have seen a few hairline cracks form. Nothing broke but freezer – oven is best to be avoided.

  • 40 Terese // Dec 29, 2015 at 3:50 am

    Thank you so much for being responsible blogger in letting people know that using canning jars for baking is against manufacture recommendations. As well as tell people that desserts are not shelf stable. It is refreshing in this day and age.
    While the jars are glass and you would think glass would be strong, they are only made to withstand 250 degrees or less.
    Taking jars from freezer to hot oven is a huge risk. And dampness on a jar being introduced to a preheated oven is recipe for disaster. Thermal shock can break a jar in just a 40 degree difference.
    Be safe everyone! If you have a jar crack even a tiny bit, please throw it away food and all. Glass can pop off thin slivers of glass
    Have a great day. Thank you for a great site! I need to write down a recipe or five! Plus there is sewing area? I won’t get a thing done today!

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