SOUTHERN CHOCOLATE COBBLER

When you think of a cobbler, you probably think of bubbling fruit in sauce topped with a sweet batter, and melted chocolate doesn’t immediately come to mind. But with its fondant bottom and chocolate top, this old-fashioned Southern chocolate cobbler fits the cobbler parameters perfectly. It’s a similar combination of textures, but there’s no fruit. There’s just tons of rich chocolate, which is always good news.

INGREDIENTS :

FOR THE BATTER:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups boiling water
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS :

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place butter in a 9×13-inch baking dish and put in oven. Once butter has melted, remove and set aside.
3. Stir together the 1 1/2 cups sugar, 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, flour, milk, baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Spoon into baking dish over melted butter, but do not stir.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup cocoa powder. Sprinkle over batter in pan. Pour boiling water over topping, but again do not stir.
5. Bake until top has set, 35-40 minutes. The bottom will be loose and a bit gooey.
6. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.