This post was originally published in May 2019. It has been updated with improvements to the text and recipe as of April 2020.
Healthy(ish) Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
Cobblers are super easy, almost as simple as a crumble, and very adaptable. This one has a strawberry rhubarb filling with a handful of raspberries thrown in for good measure (the pinker the better). Just a couple tablespoons of maple syrup or honey sweeten the whole filling.
Rhubarb is in season from late March right through to late June, depending on where you live, and it’s arguably the best thing about spring. It’s certainly one of the first things to come up and makes a great dessert! If you love rhubarb too, here’s a handy collection of healthy rhubarb recipes.
Serve this strawberry rhubarb cobbler warm with a scoop of coconut milk ice cream for a pretty spring dessert, or skip the ice cream and have some for breakfast! Great either way and good with coconut whipped cream, too.
What exactly is a cobbler?
A cobbler is essentially biscuits baked on top of a fruit filling – it’s quintessentially American and very popular in Canada, too. Depending on where you are, it might mean something like this recipe or something rather more pie-like and varies by location.
In this case, the biscuits are more like scones, made with spelt flour, again just two tablespoons of coconut sugar to sweeten, a little coconut oil, and oat milk. They come together in one bowl without any special tools, just your hands. These are adapted from my vegan cream scones, minus the bergamot and with a lighter milk instead of full-fat coconut.
How to make the cobbler
Mix the fruit base in the baking dish with the sweetener and thickener, make the scones, pop them on top, and bake for 40 minutes. That’s it. As the topping is made with the most practical of all tools – your hands – there’s very little to wash up and it comes together in the blink of an eye.
This is basic enough to make with small kids (biscuits are the most fun), or for older children to try on their own. A cobbler was one of the first things I baked by myself even though I’m not sure my mom has ever made one. I definitely do more of a British version, with a scone topping, rather than American style.
After baking, the filling should be sweet, soft, and bubbling. The topping should be golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside. Since this is so lightly sweetened and easy on spice, with just vanilla, the flavour of the fruit really shines. It is a bit tart due to the rhubarb but I find it sweet enough for my taste.
Substitutions
If you have a particularly strong sweet tooth but still want to try this recipe, double the maple syrup in the filling and/or add more sugar to the scones. You’ll have to decide on how much sweetener to add to the fruit based on how sour your rhubarb is, too, because it does vary.
All-purpose flour can be used in place of spelt for the topping. I haven’t tried to make these gluten free but Alanna has a nice GF blueberry cobbler recipe. If you need, I’m sure those biscuits could be done with vegan butter and yogurt and used over this filling. You can also pivot to making this gluten free strawberry rhubarb crisp instead.
Maple syrup and honey are used interchangeably in most of my recipes, but vegans sometimes send me unhappy messages about that. If you’re baking for a vegan person, don’t use honey, obviously. Cane sugar can replace coconut as well as in the filling if you don’t have a liquid sweetener. (Though both maple syrup and honey add very nice flavour notes!)
Don’t have raspberries? Use more strawberries. Don’t have strawberries? Well then I’m not sure why you want to make a strawberry rhubarb cobbler, but you can use more raspberries and up the sweetener a bit.
Looking for more spring desserts?
Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp – with chickpea flour!
Rhubarb Almond Tart (GF)
Ginger Rhubarb Muffins
Rhubarb Crumble Cake with a yeasted base
Rhubarb Almond Cake
Or go the giant scone route with this strawberry scone cake instead of topping a cobbler with them.
Let’s connect! If you liked this recipe, make sure to leave a comment below, I love hearing from you! Tag me on instagram @occasionallyeggs and #occasionallyeggs so I can see what you’re making, and stay in touch via email, facebook, and pinterest.
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
Ingredients
- 8 stalks rhubarb chopped into 2cm (3/4 in.) pieces
- 400 grams strawberries hulled and halved
- 250 grams frozen or fresh raspberries
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Scone Topping
- 220 grams light spelt flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 125 ml oat or nut milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Place the fruit, maple syrup, and vanilla into a large baking dish*. Mix until well combined and set aside.
- Sift the flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the coconut oil and use your hands to rub it into the flour mixture, until the largest pieces of oil are no bigger than a pea. Add the milk and vanilla and stir until just combined. Don’t over mix.
- Divide the scone dough into ten roughly equal pieces and flatten slightly with your hands. Top the fruit mixture with the scones, leaving some space between so the fruit is visible.
- Bake the cobbler for 40-45 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the scones are golden. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before serving, as is or with ice cream.
Gabrielle says
Hi Alexandra, can you tell me roughly how many cups of rhubarb you need for this recipe? I made your rhubarb banana muffins and the rhubarb chia pudding – trying it for the first time! – and it seems my stalks are giant compared to yours. Thanks!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
About four cups! I’ll note that in the recipe card, too, thanks Gabrielle.