Happy Independence Day, America! Although the sky is looking depressingly cloudy today- I’m hoping it clears up by tonight so I can get an unobstructed view of some fireworks after a family cookout later on this afternoon. I did commemorate this National holiday by doing the most American thing I could think of last night- seeing “Magic Mike: XXL” in the theater with some friends (and it was really, really fun,) but I also wanted to bake or cook something with some red, white, and blue elements in it to offer up to visitors over the next couple of days.

Last year on the Fourth of July, I had whipped up a simple recipe with some strawberry and blueberry fruit bowls and smoothies. This year, using the same ingredients but taking it a step further- I created what I consider to be a very patriotic mixed berry cobbler that was easy to make in no time at all- and it tastes amazing!

YOU WILL NEED:

* 9×13″ baking pan

* 1/3 cup of butter

* 1 1/2 cups of flour

* 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar

* 1 1/2 cups of milk

* 2 teaspoons of baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

* 1/2 teaspoons of salt

* 5 cups of chopped strawberries and whole blueberries

* 1/3 cup of chopped nuts (any of your choosing! I used walnuts with the one I baked.)

* 1/3 cup of brown sugar

OKAY, HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and add the 1/3 cup of butter to your baking pan. Place the pan in the oven to melt the butter.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, milk, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir/whisk the mixture until it is smooth and thin in texture and there are no lumps.

3. Once the butter has melted in the baking pan, retrieve the pan from the oven and pour the batter inside of it. DO NOT STIR. Some of the butter will pool along the edges and top of the batter- and that’s a good thing. That’s what you want!

4. Sprinkle the strawberries and blueberries evenly over the batter and butter. Once you have the fruit where you want it- sprinkle the chopped nuts and brown sugar on top.

5. Bake the mixture for 45-50 minutes or until the top crust is a nice golden color.

6. Serve by itself or with a scoop of ice cream on top.

7. Enjoy!

One of these cobblers can serve quite a few people, depending on how big a scoop they take, and what I really love about this recipe- apart from how delicious it tastes- is that you can substitute the strawberries and blueberries for other types of fruit and it will still come out great!

I’m actually going to grab a serving before I get ready to head out for the day’s festivities.

Have a great Fourth of July, everyone!

xx