Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cobbler

During our courtship (is that word too archaic for something that only happened a decade ago?), Noel and I spent a summer apart. I was smitten which led me to do sappy things like make care packages with chocolate kisses and cheesy sayings. And because Noel was likewise smitten, he continued dating me even though he is a bit of a chocolate snob and abhors Hershey’s kisses. I know better now. A few years back I made him a Raspberry Cobbler with Dark Chocolate Biscuits for Valentine’s Day and he liked it so much it’s become a tradition to make it every Valentine’s Day. A year ago, we set out to turn the dish into a camping friendly, dutch oven dish. It took several attempts (most of which Noel’s scout troop gobbled up without complaints) before we felt like we’d appropriately captured the essence of the original. I think all cobblers taste best with ice cream, but this one especially does. The sweetness of the ice cream pairs really well with the richness of the chocolate and the tartness of the raspberries. Obviously when camping, ice cream can be tricky. We have two methods for doing our cobblers a la mode. The first is to buy a pint of vanilla at the nearest grocery store within a few hours of serving it. The second is dry ice, it only take a tiny bit right on top of the ice cream in your cooler. If neither of those options appeals to you, homemade whipped cream travels well in a cooler. In a pinch,  a can of spray whipped cream can get you by.

Update on 7/5/17: We got feedback that this cobbler was a little dry and revisited it on our most recent camping trip. We’ve updated the recipe and it now should produce a tender chocolate biscuit without fail.

Dutch Oven Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cobbler in the wild.

Print Pin

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cobbler

Course Dessert

Cuisine dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Filling

• 30 oz raspberries about 3 3/4 C, frozen works great
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla

Topping

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup powdered milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
• 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips about 1/3 C
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

At Home

• Mix the filling ingredients and put in a well sealed tupperware or plastic bag. If making the cobbler a couple of days into the trip, freeze the filling before packing into your cooler.
• Mix the dry ingredients for the topping together. If you have a food processor, add the dry ingredients and the butter (it's best to cut the cube down into a few smaller squares first) and pulse until well incorporated with pea-sized butter remains. If you don't have a food processor, you can cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or two knives. Stir in the chocolate chips and put the mixture in a well sealed tupperware or plastic bag. Pack into the cooler.

At Camp

• After lighting your charcoal, pour the filling ingredients into the bottom of a 10" dutch oven and spread evenly across the bottom.
• Add 1/2 C water to the topping bag. Knead the water into the mixture with your fingers until it is fairly evenly distributed and a clumpy dough has formed. Pour the topping onto the filling and spread evenly across it.
  
• Cook with 8-10 coals on bottom and 12-14 coals on top. Cook for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Rotate every 15 minutes for even cooking.
  

Notes

Inspired by Annie's Eats' raspberry cobbler with dark chocolate biscuits.