Easy 3-Ingredient Berry Cobbler Recipe

There are few things as satisfying as digging into a fresh fruit cobbler. From berry cobblers to peach, apple, and cherry, the options for fruits to be incorporated into a delicious cobbler are nearly endless.

The concept of making cobblers dates back decades, as early American settlers would opt to incorporate whatever was fresh and in-season around them to create a delicious meal or dessert. Cobbler recipes can be made in a huge variety of ways, whether adding a bottom crust to the dish or incorporating additional toppings such as oats or granola. But either way it's made, a cobbler is typically one of the easiest treats that can be on the dessert menu.

Making a beautiful and flavorful berry cobbler is truly as easy as 1-2-3 with this 3-ingredient berry cobbler recipe. It's the perfect way to combine a simple cake mix with berries bursting with flavor. And once it's baked, it's the ideal dessert to pair with a big scoop of ice cream or whipped cream to create the perfect pairing. Dessert can be ready in no time with this simple recipe, whether you're prepping a sweet treat for your family on a weekday afternoon or you're hoping to feed a crowd.

Putting together this fruity and flavorful 3-ingredient berry cobbler is as easy as can be. But to get the baking off to the right start, it's important to gather all of your ingredients to make sure you have everything on hand. The process goes fairly quickly, so it's better to have everything out on the counter and prepared.

All you'll need for this 3-ingredient berry cobbler recipe is yellow cake mix, butter, and mixed berries. The berries you choose are up to you, and they could either be from a bag in the frozen food aisle or fresh. The butter should be unsalted, and it will need to be melted.

If you love a super sweet dessert, you certainly could add granulated sugar to your list of ingredients and add it to your berries before making your cobbler.

We opted for a frozen bag of mixed berries from our grocery store's frozen food aisle for this recipe, but you can opt to use another type of fruit. Our mix came with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries to offer the ideal balance of tart and sweet. However, if you find another mixture of frozen fruit that appeals to you, or perhaps just a bag of frozen raspberries or a bag of frozen blueberries, it can certainly work the same.

If berries aren't your favorite, this recipe works well for any type of fruit. Canned peaches, canned cherry or apple filling, or even fresh fruit will work wonderfully with this recipe. And it can be tailored toward what's fresh and in-season.

If you do choose to opt for fresh fruit, you can make this 3-ingredient berry cobbler recipe the same way. Utilize fresh berries as you would the frozen berries. Or, if you're opting for fresh peaches or apples, just be sure to peel and dice the fruit before adding it to the pan.

The reason for using a cake mix for this 3-ingredient berry cobbler recipe is all about ease. Cake mixes allow you to have everything you need for a dry mix all ready to go in one easy-to-grab box. But, if you don't have a box of cake mix on hand at home, it's still possible to whip together a beautiful berry cobbler.

A dry mixture of 2 cups flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt allows you to accomplish the same result. Essentially you're just creating a mixture of dry ingredients that will be mixed with the melted butter to form the topping. If you want a sweeter topping, the amount of sugar added can be increased. The same goes for the salt in this mixture if you think a salty and sweet combo would be delicious. Simply add all four ingredients to a bowl and stir, and then set it aside for when you're ready to use it in place of the cake mix in this recipe.

The first step to making this super quick and easy 3-ingredient berry cobbler is to prep your oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to warm it up.

To prep your cobbler, start by adding the frozen berry mixture straight into your pan. We used a 9" X 9" square pan for this recipe, but really any baking dish will do. If you have a 9" X 13" pan, that will certainly work as well. If you're using a glass baking dish for your cobbler, be sure to lightly grease your pan with cooking spray before adding the fruit to prevent it from sticking. However, if you're using a metal or a non-stick pan, it's not necessary.

Once you've added the fruit to the pan, spread it out into a nice, full layer so it's ready for your topping.

The topping for this easy 3-ingredient berry cobbler comes together fairly quickly. But the key here is to make sure you're getting the right consistency.

Melt your entire stick of butter for your cobbler topping. You can either put the stick in a mug in the microwave or melt it on the stove in a pan. Either method, it should be fully melted and slightly cooled before mixing together your topping.

Pour the entire cake mix into a large bowl. Pour the melted butter into the bowl gradually. As you pour, mix together the dry mixture with the melted butter by using a large fork or a whisk. As you continue to add butter to the dry mixture, it will begin to form small clumps. Continue to incorporate the butter until you've used all of it, mixing as you go to create a crumbly mixture.

Once your mixture is the ideal crumbly consistency, it's time to top your cobbler for baking. This melted butter and cake mix mixture acts similarly to a streusel topping for this recipe.

Sprinkle a portion of the topping over the fruit evenly. Give the top of your fruit a slight stir to incorporate the mixture just at the top. Then, sprinkle another full layer of the cake mix topping over the fruit. Lastly, use your hands to pat down the topping slightly to secure it in place.

Once your 3-ingredient berry cobbler is ready, put it in your oven preheated to 375 degrees. Allow the cobbler to bake for 40-45 minutes. The topping will be a light golden brown and slightly hardened once it's ready to come out of the oven. Pull the cobbler out of the oven and allow it to cool slightly before serving.

This 3-ingredient berry cobbler truly comes together with just a few minutes of prep time. Certainly, the baking process takes a while, but as you're waiting for your cobbler to bake you can dream of all of the delicious ways to serve your treat.

Adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream is certainly a popular choice when it comes to serving cobbler. The play on temperatures with the frozen cold ice cream and the warm cobbler right out of the oven is divine.

Another great option is to dish up cobbler in bowls and serve it with whipped cream. You can purchase a can or tub of whipped topping from the store, or you can make your own by adding heavy whipping cream to a stand mixer. Use the whisk attachment and whip your heavy cream until stiff peaks form. We decided to take this route for our cobbler, topping it with dollops of whipped cream and a sprig of fresh mint. The options are truly endless here on however you'd like to serve your dessert. Either way, it will offer up a delicious cobbler full of fruit flavor.