Southern Blueberry Cobbler with Coconut and Lime

This easy Southern blueberry cobbler recipe is topped with buttery, golden biscuits. A little lime transforms the sweet juicy blueberries and brings out their flavor. Flaky, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits create the perfect Southern dessert. Fresh or frozen blueberries will work so you can enjoy it all year long.

Sweet blueberries whether fresh or frozen, baked into a cobbler, makes the perfect summer dessert, and it can be put together in no time, so easy!

Whether it’s a peach, strawberry or apple cobbler, baked fruit covered in biscuits are my favorite. The natural sweetness from the fruit allows you to use less sugar, and everything is better when combined with a Southern biscuit!

Cobblers in general are so easy to make with just a couple of simple steps, the oven does all the work. Top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and everyone will be asking you for the recipe.

I’ve had so much fun experimenting with sweet recipes that use lime this summer. I love it as a marinade for grilled chicken, but I hadn’t tried it with sweeter recipes other than in a lemon-lime pie, until I added it to blueberry tequila salad. It was so good mixed with the fresh blueberries, I couldn’t wait to try it with the blueberries in this cobbler.

You’ll be amazed how just a little citrus from the lime really perks up the blueberries. Similar to how lemon juice squeezed over chicken and pasta, perks up the dish.

Blueberries are ripe and plentiful in NC for about two months starting in June and going through the end of July. If you haven’t tried picking them, you’ve got to give it a try, they’re easier to pick them strawberries and you get to eat as much as you want and you’ll have enough to make a fresh blueberry pie or add to a fruit salad.

I can eat my weight in blueberries and always think I can eat all that I pick. Thank goodness they are so easy to freeze. If it’s not blueberry season or you don’t have a ton of blueberries, try making a lemon blueberry loaf, or use them to top berry cheesecake bars.

Pro Tip: To freeze blueberries, wash them first and let them dry completely on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Then place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove and place them in a freezer bag. You can remove as many as you need and they won’t clump together.

While the fruit is always the star, the topping is what will make the fruit shine in this recipe. Most cobbler’s have some type of biscuit like topping, like with this fresh strawberry cobbler, rather than an oatmeal topping that you see on a crisp.

Instead of a buttermilk biscuit, I used cream and a little unsweetened flaked coconut and made more of a scone topping. You can’t even taste the coconut, it just adds to the texture, so don’t shy away from this if you’re not a coconut fan. If you don’t have any on hand, you can leave it out and still have a delicious biscuit topping.

Since blueberries are generally pretty juicy, I prefer a biscuit type topping to soak up some of the tasty juice. I am from the South after all and we love our biscuits!

Why you’ll love this recipe for Blueberry Cobbler

• It’s simple to make
• You can’t mess it up, it’ll be perfect every time
• The blueberries taste even better with the lime zest and juice
• There’s nothing like a slightly sweet biscuit with fresh fruit

Southern Blueberry Cobbler ingredients

• Fresh blueberries – since blueberries freeze so well, you can also use frozen or a mixture of the two. (If you can’t make this right away, learn how to make your fresh berries last longer)
• Lime – zest it first and then squeeze out the juice.
• Sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt – it needs a little sugar to sweeten it up, just ⅓ of a cup along with a little flour to keep it from being too watery.
• Unsweetened coconut – just two tablespoons but it helps with the texture of the biscuit.
• Heavy cream – instead of buttermilk, it adds a sweeter taste. You can also use whole milk.
• Pantry Items – flour, butter, baking powder, vanilla and cinnamon.

Pro Tip: Learn some tricks for getting the most juice out of a lemon or lime.

How to make Blueberry Cobbler

All cobblers are super easy to make and virtually fool proof. About the only thing that could go wrong is if your dish isn’t large enough and it drips over into your oven. Place a cookie sheet under your baking dish to catch any drips.

Step 1: Prepare the fruit

For this blueberry cobbler recipe as with most cobblers, you’ll add a little flour, and sugar to the fruit then add some lime zest and juice and mix it together in a large bowl. Then just pour it into a baking dish.

Step 2: Prepare the biscuits

In a separate bowl, add the dry ingredients and cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or use your fingers. Add cream and butter and mix just until combined. For best results, try no to handle the dough any more than you have to. Spoon it onto the fruit and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Step 3: Bake

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown and serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.

We were amazed at how the zest from one lime could make an old fashioned blueberry cobbler into this amazing dessert.  The topping was not as cakey or doughy as some cobblers, but almost like a scone on top.  We all loved this variation.  If you love lime, try it in a fruit salad, or granola.

You can use this biscuit recipe for any other fruit cobblers that you want to make.

How to serve this recipe for Blueberry Cobbler

Since the biscuits are topped with coarse sugar, this is wonderful without anything else. But of course, it’s even better when dairy is combined with fruit. If warm, top with vanilla ice cream or pour a little heavy cream over the top.

If serving at room temperature, I prefer whipped cream.

Pro Tip: If you want pretty swirls of whipped cream or just want it to keep its form for a few day, learn how you can easily stabilize whipped cream.

Southern Blueberry Cobbler Recipe storage

Fruit cobblers are wonderful warm out of the oven, but they are also great at room temperature. Once it’s cooled, cover it with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature for a day or two. You can also refrigerate any leftover cobbler.

To re-heat it, place it in the oven at 350º for about 10 minutes. You can microwave it but the biscuits can get tough if microwaved.

You can also freeze any leftovers in an airtight container. Let it come to room temperature and re-heat in the oven.

Southern Blueberry Cobbler FAQs

How do you freeze blueberries?

Wash them and let them dry on a rimmed cookie sheet then place them in the freezer for 30 minutes. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag.

How do you choose ripe blueberries?

Blueberries should be purple blue to black in color and plump. The size does not determine their sweetness.

Will blueberries ripen after they’ve been picked?

Blueberries will not ripen once they’ve been picked so choose ones that are dark and plump.

Can you use frozen blueberries in a cobbler?

Yes, you don’t even need to thaw them. You can also use a mixture of fresh and frozen.

How do you keep cobbler from getting soggy?

Cobblers topped with biscuits will get soggy after 2-3 days as the juice from the fruit is absorbed into the biscuit topping. You can slow this down by refrigerating it once it has cooled.

Why do you need lemon juice in cobbler?

Citrus, whether it’s from a lemon, lime or orange adds a tartness that compliments the sweetness of the peaches and enhances the flavor. Without the acidity from the citrus, the cobbler can taste too sweet.

What is cobbler topping made of?

Cobbler are topped with a biscuit like batter or can also be topped with a cake batter like in this peach cobbler recipe. Since blueberries are so juicy, a biscuit topping works best.

What Else Can you Make with Blueberries

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