Delicious Blackberry Cobbler Roll Recipe

This Blackberry Cobbler Roll recipe is a huge hit at our bakery, The Flour Barn. Using our favorite brioche recipe, these rolls are filled with a sweet blackberry compote, topped with a crumb topping and then covered in a buttery glaze. Although this recipe is simple, it does take love and time. But trust me, it is worth the effort.

The Dough

Bread, in its most basic form is made from four ingredients: flour, yeast, salt, and water. With those humble ingredients, we can bake the most delicious breads. Think sourdough, pizza dough, baguettes, and bagels!

Enriched dough, however, adds “bonus” ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, and sometimes sugar or honey to create richer, softer doughs to be made into things like cinnamon rolls, French toast, or soft dinner rolls for a special occasion. Brioche is one such enriched dough using additional ingredients including eggs, butter, milk and sugar. The result is a bread that is soft and billowy, with a silky crumb. Not only is it the perfect bread for French toast, it is also the perfect base for Cinnamon rolls and in this case, Blackberry Cobbler Rolls.

For a more detailed look into our Favorite Brioche Recipe click here!

The Filling

I use a Blackberry Compote as my filling. So where you would normally put your cinnamon sugar in a cinnamon roll, you are instead putting a layer of delicious blackberry compote. But what is a compote and how do I make one?

making compote with a slurry

First, let’s talk about the slurry. Learning to make a slurry will have a major impact on your daily menu because it is a skill that will help you make so many sauces. In fact, I use a slurry to make gravy, to thicken chicken and noodles if I think they’re too thin, to thicken homemade pasta sauce if necessary, and of course, to thicken any kind of fruit compote. So, what’s a slurry? A slurry is a thickening agent that consists of a starch and a cold liquid. In this case, the starch is cornstarch, and the liquid is water. When this simple mixture is added to a hot liquid, like beef stock or cooked berries, the result is a clear, velvety, thickened final product. You can also use flour in the same way, but the result won’t be as clear.

Why use a slurry?

You might be asking why not just add the cornstarch to the cold fruit or cold broth from the beginning? Well, you actually can do that if you mix it in really well and then cook it until it’s the desired consistency. However, a slurry has several advantages. In the berry compote, I can gradually add the slurry once it’s hot and stop when it’s the consistency I want. If I’ve added too much or too little cornstarch in the beginning, it may end up too thick or too thin. That’s actually happened to me, and I had to make a slurry anyway to thicken it more! When I’m using a slurry to thicken soup or pasta sauce, I want to cook it a long time to develop flavor and if I thicken it first, the soup or the sauce will stick to the bottom of the pan as I try to simmer it. Waiting until it’s the desired taste to thicken it is the perfect solution! Additionally, waiting until it’s hot, and adding a smooth slurry lessens the chances of having lumps in the sauce.

SLurry ingredients

The ratio of cornstarch to water is generally one part cornstarch to two parts water. However, I never really measure it exactly. It’s just not that particular. In fact, I usually make more than I think I’ll need so that I don’t have to make more in a pinch when the sauce is not as thick as I want it. You’ll see what I mean as you gain experience making it. I usually combine these two things in a cup and give them a good stir until the mixture is very smooth. Getting it nice and smooth will eliminate any lumps in your finished product.

Let’s Make Crumb Topping!

To give these rolls their cobbler-like texture, we top them with a crumb topping. There are several ways to make a crumbly streusel!

Pastry Cutter

Start by mixing your dry ingredients together. Then cut your butter into small cubes, add it to the dry ingredients. Using your pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the butter pieces are about the size of peas or smaller. Top your rolls, and you’re ready to bake.

By Hand

If you don’t have a pastry cutter, or you just like to be very “in touch” with your crumb topping because it’s fun, then just use your fingers to squeeze the butter into the sugar and flour mixture. Continue until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.

using melted, but cooled, butter

This is actually the method we use for our coffee cake muffins at the bakery, and the crumb is a little crunchier when you melt the butter first, but it’s a variation you might love! First, melt the butter; but before proceeding, make sure it cools to just slightly warm. If you combine it with the flour and sugar mixture while it’s still hot, it will melt the sugars and cause the crumb topping to be a bit greasy. To prevent that, just wait until it cools a bit before adding it to the mixture. Once it’s cooled, just pour it into the dry mixture and toss with a fork. There’s no need to stir it vigorously; just tossing it lightly with the fork until it looks like a beautiful crumb will be sufficient.

Blackberry Cobbler Roll Buttery Glaze

This is my favorite glaze because it is so simple, delicious and buttery. Because of the addition of melted butter, it hardens as it cools, giving these rolls even more flavor and texture.

Add 1/4 cup milk and one stick of butter to a bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds or until the butter is fully melted. You can also allow it to melt in a sauce pan on low heat. It is important to add the milk and butter together cold and then warm them together. If you instead melt the butter and then add cold milk, it will cause the mixture to coagulate.

Once the butter is fully melted, whisk it together with the milk. You can then add the two cups of powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk the mixture until smooth. If you are using a stand mixer (we use a stand mixer in the bakery because we’re making a lot of this glaze), I would use the whisk attachment.

Assembling Your Blackberry Cobbler Rolls

Once your dough has doubled in size from the first rise, deflate the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Then roll your dough out with a rolling pin into a large rectangle about 18 inches by 10 inches. Then pour on one cup of blackberry compote. Spread your blackberry compote over the surface leaving one inch uncovered at the bottom of the roll out.

Then, starting from the top, roll the dough toward you. Remember to not roll your rolls too tight or it will push the filling out. Once completely rolled, seal the roll by pinching the seem of the roll. Using a knife or a bench scraper, cut the rolls into 1.5-inch rolls.

Place your blackberry cobbler rolls evenly into your baking dish prepared with parchment or buttered. Now you can cover them generously with your crumb topping. At this point you can stick them in the fridge for a slow overnight rise or let them rise at room temperature for 30 minutes and bake!

Glazing your Blackberry Cobbler Rolls

Once your rolls are baked, let them cool for ten minutes and then you can pour your glaze over top. If your glaze has been sitting and hardened slightly, you can put it in the microwave for another 15 seconds. You can also use half your glaze at first, and then as your rolls continue to cool, add another layer of glaze.