matt's mini upside-down cobblers

This is one of those few recipes that disproves the principle of baking which says that more effort leads to a better product. In a lot of cases that's true (looking at you, macarons and eclairs), but not so here. These mini cobblers only take a couple of minutes to whip up, and the result—well, let's just say that Adam and I polished off all twelve of these by ourselves in as many hours... which also included a full night's sleep. 

The recipe was created by my brother, Matthew, who shared it with me and was gracious enough to let me share it with you. While there are a couple steps that may seem unusual at first (I was a little skeptical of the order you fill the muffin cups), follow the recipe as it's written and I guarantee you will love the result.

They're the perfect sweetness, and the brown sugar and cinnamon melts down to create a delicious glaze on top. They're the perfect size and, since they're self-contained, a great snack or breakfast for on the go. Moral of the story: you should make a batch. You probably have all the ingredients already.

Matt's Mini Upside-Down Cobblers
Makes 12 muffin-sized cobblers

1 1/2 cups strawberries, peaches, blueberries, or combination
1 tsp lemon zest
1 cup flour
Scant 1/2 cup + 1 tsp white sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 stick / 4 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350 F and line a 12-cup muffin tin.

Prepare whichever fruit you're using: hull and quarter strawberries, peel and dice peaches, and leave blueberries whole. Toss prepared fruit with lemon zest and 1 tsp sugar, and let rest while you make the other components.

Whisk together flour, scant 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Pour in milk and stir to combine with a rubber spatula. In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon.

Pour 1 tsp of the melted butter into each empty liner. You may have a little butter left over; it so, set it aside for another use. Scoop the batter into the cups, dividing it evenly into 12 portions. Repeat with prepared fruit. Lastly, divide the brown sugar mixture and sprinkle on top of the fruit, again, dividing evenly between the cobblers.

Bake in preheated oven for 19 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for just a couple minutes before removing from muffin tin. I imagine these would be fantastic topped with a little fresh unsweetened whipped cream and a chiffonade of basil, but they didn't last long enough for me to test this theory.

Keep leftovers in a sealed container, and whatever you do, don't eat them for breakfast the next day.