This week, Ree’s in Orlando, ditching the boots for a pair of flip flops. Right now, she’s either lost in Wally World, hiding in the bathroom, or clutching the bars of some insane ride and crying for her mommy. So we have another special guest filling in for this week’s Tasty Recipe post! Today, missamy takes over with a decadent chocolate dessert that looks almost too good to be true. If you remember Amy from her feature some months back, then you know you’re in for a wild and delicious ride. It’s all yours, Amy!
When I was invited to guest post here I was filled with glee and honored to have been asked to fulfill such a task. Ree rocks the recipe rundown like no other. To try to fill her shoes (or boots) is an undertaking for sure. But I’ll do my best. And today, chocolate is involved, so how can I go wrong? Chocolate always covers a multitude of shortcomings in the kitchen. Burn a roast? Serve a chocolate pie and no one will remember. Running late and all you have on hand is sandwich fixings? Chocolate brownies will make it all better. You get the picture.
So when I saw this recipe, My Granny’s Chocolate Cobbler submitted by Tasty Kitchen member Susan Hawkins, I knew I had to give it a try. Ya know, for y’all. I’m a trooper like that. You can thank me later. Or rather, thank Susan and her Granny for the recipe.
This cobbler reminds of a Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, like the one Ree once shared. But I think it’s a little more ooey gooey with a crispy and crunchy top concealing a moist cake and rich chocolate syrup. Let’s get started and you can see for yourself!
The ingredients are simple. You’ll need flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, sugar, milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, brown sugar and hot tap water.
Begin with the flour in a mixing bowl.
Next add the baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa powder and 3/4 of the sugar.
Side note here: I used dark cocoa powder for this recipe, which can be found in most local groceries. I’m a dark chocolate fan. You can certainly use regular cocoa powder, but if you can find it, the dark cocoa powder gives it an extra kick of richness that would make Ree’s skirt fly up. I don’t wear many skirts but I felt a distinct breeze up my pant legs.
Okay, back to the recipe. Mix ingredients well.
Next add the milk, melted butter and vanilla extract.
Combine well until you have a smooth batter. At this point it looks much like a brownie batter. I suppose, if you wanted, you could stop here and call it day. But Granny has bigger plans for us, so hold your horses.
In an 8 x 8″ or equivalent size casserole or baking dish, evenly spread the chocolate batter and set aside.
Moving right along, in a bowl place the remaining white sugar, the brown sugar and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder.
Combine well. The mixture was a little lumpy due to my brown sugar clumping but I just broke apart any large clumps and didn’t worry about the others.
Evenly distribute dry mixture over the chocolate batter.
Now here’s where it gets a little wonky. You may wonder what was Granny thinkin’? I even checked the recipe, concerned I had missed a step. Pour 1 1/2 cups of hot tap water over the whole thing and don’t stir.
Again, don’t stir. Just let it be. It looks kinda wrong, I know, but some kind of Granny magic happens. Trust me. Or rather trust Granny. She knew what she was doing.
Bake in a 350° F oven for approximately 40 minutes or until the center is set.
And here ’tis!
A yummy, chocolatey goodness awaits below that crunchy shell.
All I can say is have some vanilla ice cream on hand because it’s the perfect accompaniment. The cobbler is rich and decadent but not too sweet. Ice cream, whipped cream or a tall glass of milk balances out the richness just fine. Mighty fine indeed.
Just so you know, while I don’t normally cook gluten-free, I did try a gluten-free version just by substituting Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour for the same amount of flour called for in this recipe. It turned out delightful. I took it to a get-together and it was gobbled up by kids and adults alike.
A big thanks to Susan for sharing her granny’s recipe with us all. It’s a keeper for sure!
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Description
This cobbler brings back childhood memories of summer time at my granny’s house. She would make this decadent dessert to go with the homemade vanilla ice cream. I don’t know of anything that melts ice cream better.
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoons Salt
- 7 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder, Divided
- 1-¼ cup Sugar, Divided
- ½ cups Milk
- ⅓ cups Melted Butter
- 1-½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1-½ cup Hot Tap Water
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
First stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa, and 3/4 cup of the white sugar. Reserve the remaining cocoa and sugar.
Stir in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch baking dish. I prefer my small oval Corning Ware glass dish.
In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining white sugar (it should be 1/2 cup), the brown sugar, and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter.
Pour the hot tap water over all. DO NOT STIR!
Bake for about 40 minutes or until the center is set.
Let stand for a few minutes if you can hold yourself back. Serve with homemade ice cream using the gooey sauce to spoon over all.
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Amy Johnson is a blogger who writes about food, travel, the home (both inside and out), and various observations and random musings about anything and everything. Visit her blog She Wears Many Hats for a dose of deliciousness, practicality, hilarity, or just plain fun. She and her husband have two children, and in his eyes, everything she does is perfect. We kinda think so too.
205 Comments
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akoster on 5.14.2010
this was super awesome and easy its a keeper
Larraine on 5.14.2010
This is just like a recipe I got from an old hillbilly cookbook 45 years ago (maybe where granny got it!) only it was pretty much a one bowl recipe. And it didn’t take eggs. The whole thing got dumped in the pan and the gooey center formed itself. It was called chocolate upside down cake. I always made it when we were strapped for cash because it took only ingredients I always had laying around anyway, but it tasted sooo special!
Selina on 5.14.2010
mmmm… i have all of the ingredients in my kitchen right now except for the cocoa powder. DARN! I guess I’ll be adding that to my next shopping list…
Kym Kelly-Taylor on 5.14.2010
What they said. Yep, we call it Self Saucing Pudding in Australia and the chocolate version is pretty good but I like the butterscotch version best. You can make a lemon one or a blueberry one too. Butterscotch rules!
cheers
Kym
Mallory Dyer on 5.14.2010
This sounds very yummy and I wanted to make it for a dinner party this evening but I couldn’t find any measurements for the ingredients. It’s probably me but I have searched high and low for them and can’t find them.
vthungrymom on 5.14.2010
This looked so good I made it the same day you posted it. I asked my husband to bring home vanilla ice cream and said it HAD to be vanilla. Well he went to the corner store and all they had was chocolate. So after dinner I had to run out to the supermarket and get vanilla ice cream. It was worth the trip! This was even better reheated the next day! Yum, my whole family loved it. I’ve always wanted to make a chocolate molten cake but it always seemed so complicated. This was a nice easy version. Thanks for sharing.
Melanie on 5.14.2010
I made this today, and all I can say is Oh My Gosh…
mary k on 5.14.2010
wow. made this the night i saw it. for our dinner trade group. all were floored. very good, very easy, making another tonight JUST for us. maybe cook an additional 5 minutes.
Angela on 5.14.2010
Seriously, that was heaven on a plate. I had to stop myself from eating the entire thing! MMMMMMM
Karen on 5.13.2010
My Mother has been making a recipe very similar to this (taking into account I live in Australia and we use different names for some stuff) for the last 30 years. We call it a chocolate pudding (English style pudding) and my Mum found it in The Anti-Coronary Cookbook in the 1970’s(?). Lovely cake with a crunchy crust and rich chocolate sauce…mmm, MUST be served with ice cream, whipped cream just doesn’t give you the contrast. Needless to say this has been a family favourite forever!
janna on 5.13.2010
Chocolate pudding cake! My mom used to make it a lot when I was a kid, but I hadn’t thought of it in ages. And I love Vikki’s idea of replacing the hot water with coffee!
Libby on 5.13.2010
Easy, delicious Chocolate-pudding-molten-cobbler-sauce-fudge-whatever-cake! Whipped this up in no time and it was stinkin’ good! I have a feeling peanut butter chips inside with peanut butter ice cream on top would be SO good with this. I can already hear my jeans hollering…
kelly on 5.13.2010
i would have to do it gluten free so thank you for testing it out that way! this looks to DIE for!
Mary Pat on 5.13.2010
Thanks for the idea to make it gluten-free. We are going to have to eliminate that from our diets for awhile this summer. This will help us get through that stretch!
Denise on 5.13.2010
Awesome post from my sister-chick, Amy! Thanks for letting me sample this taste of chocolate heaven…I’ll be making this one soon!
Joy Ellis on 5.13.2010
Thanking God right now that I have ALL of the ingredients to make this. Looks delicious!!!
msbooch on 5.13.2010
This surely beats all today. The names given for this decadent dish don’t really matter cuz it is chocolate. Right! This recipe just cannot sit too long before it is made by the weekend. Enjoy y’all.
Susan on 5.13.2010
My 10 year old son made this…and it was OUT OF THIS WORLD! Thanks for posting
Mori Spellman on 5.13.2010
Next time, I’d remember to bring the ice cream.
Mori Spellman on 5.13.2010
Chocolate Swamp Cake! Love it, make it, eat much too much of it.
When I was pregnant with my 2 year old I ate an entire one of these for breakfast, in the car, on the way to work… we were having a pot luck that day. And I’m still not ashamed of myself. I’d do it again in a heart beat… if I were to get pregnant again.
carolyn on 5.13.2010
Heading into the kitchen to make this one, PRONTO! Wow.
Sue on 5.13.2010
My family’s been making this cake for years–obviously we love it! I like it even more because, it works at 9200 ft elevation!
Kevin Moran on 5.13.2010
Father’s DAY!
This is what I want my wife to make for the family for the big day. And I’ll make the homemade vanilla ice cream.
Great posting Amy!
Diane Newcomb on 5.13.2010
Why oh why do I have every single ingredient needed to make this??? Now I have to go make this insanely awesome looking chocolate heaven from the oven.
Heidi Zeigler on 5.13.2010
In San Diego, we call this Molton Chocolate lava cake and it always scared me too much to even attempt it! This recipe is friendly and I feel like I can do it…and I am going too! And I am definitely stopping for some vanilla ice cream today to accompany it!
Tina Larkin on 5.13.2010
Made this last night…ooh la la!! Quick to assemble…ingredients I usually have on hand anyway…super easy and the family loved it. This will definitely become a last minute go to dessert. Thank you for sharing!!
maykong on 5.13.2010
That looks phenomenal!
Bonnie B on 5.13.2010
my mom made this when we were kids, she called it ‘brownie pudding’… the top does come out like a brownie… most delicious!
Malin on 5.13.2010
Holy deliciousness, this looks amaaaaaazing. How can I’ve been missing this all this time? I’ll have to make it very soon! (But I’m glad you stressed “don’t stir”, cause I would definetely have stirred!)
Jana H. on 5.13.2010
I was so enamoured of this recipe that I had to go home and make it last night. It was incredibly delcious. Super rich. Tastes just like a dessert my mama has made for years that we call Hot Fudge Puddin’ Cake.
Since she lost that recipe a while back, I’m super excited to have a new one to replace it!
mirinblue on 5.13.2010
Wow, just WOW!
Rebecca Young on 5.13.2010
I actually have a microwave version of this…it is such a fun recipe to make with the kids!
valerie on 5.13.2010
What are the measurements for this recipe? How much of everything do I add? thanks!
valerie
Lisa on 5.13.2010
All it needs is a scoop of peanut butter ice cream and you can say you’ve tasted heaven!
teejay on 5.13.2010
looks more like a pudding cake, though I suppose if you put some nice sweet cherries in it, it’d really be a cobbler, and extra tasty, too.
merryheart on 5.13.2010
This looks dangerous! Thanks so much for sharing. A few moonths ago I was actually looking for a Chocolate Cobbler Recipe. I better start exercising now for when I make this
Thanks again!
Gracemarie Balantic on 5.13.2010
Looks incredible, it’s a must do. And guess who received an ice cream maker for Mother’s Day??? It’ll be a busy weekend.
Lori on 5.13.2010
Oh My Goodness!!! Looks soooooo yummy!! thanks!
BlueRose on 5.13.2010
As mentioned before, here in NZ we call this a Chocolate Self Saucing pudding.
I have a recipe very similar with two differences
– add an egg in with the melted butter (I usually beat together)
– the sauce cocoa/sugar mix gets added to the hot water and dissolved and *then* poured over the batter
I often find the sauce tends to bubble up over the edges of the dish and burn on the bottom of the oven, so I put a tray under it to combat that as well
joanne on 5.13.2010
I have made this for several years, we call it hot fudge sundae cake. It is my husbands favorite!!
Pattie on 5.12.2010
You did a great job filling in. The cobbler looks good enough to cobble down. : )
Tara Peters on 5.12.2010
I use coffee instead of the water….OMW…..yuummo!!!
denise on 5.12.2010
we call this chocolate pudding cake. when i was a very little girl, i would not eat it because i thought that the chocolate was blueberries. i finally tried it when i was in college and couldn’t believe i had missed out on this delicious dessert all those years. i love to make this and it is perfect for a last minute dessert. i now have five daughters that love it and a few of them are old enough to throw it together for me!
laywergirl on 5.12.2010
Has anyone tried to double this recipe, and if so, what size pan did you use? I’m having 10 people over for dinner and I’m not sure that 8×8 will be enough to serve everyone. Have to make this though, it looks soooo delish!
Tracy at Barn Barnchicks on 5.12.2010
This looks like it would keep me up even after I too my ambien to fall asleep! Beautiful thank you for sharing. I think I’m going to try it.
Clare on 5.12.2010
Thanks for including the GF substitution. I was thinking that as I was reading and drooling along.
professorc on 5.12.2010
Needs pecans!
Jeretta on 5.12.2010
I used to make this for my girls when they were little; they are now in their late 30’s. My grandmother made this for my brother,sister and I when we were small, and I am 60. Oh the memories!!!! Thank you so much for reminding me of this cake. I can’t wait to make it for my grandkids.
Joanna B on 5.12.2010
Oh, Marielys, you’re right: there are no eggs.
Joanna B on 5.12.2010
I have been making this a long time, out of the Betty Crocker cookbook I bought at Sears just before I married in 1973. It is called Hot Fudge Sundae Cake there and it has pecans in it. We think they are the finishing touch!