If you’ve watched Jennifer Garner’s “Pretend Cooking Show” on Instagram, you’ll understand immediately why the people love her. She’s not uptight to within an inch of her life like all the other celebrities in the kitchen she’s real. She teases about her own errors, she makes a mess, she allows her children to cut in, and she cooks exactly like the rest of us do when the cameras are not around. And honestly, that’s half the fun.
But when her mom, Pat Garner, pops into the kitchen with her? Oh boy, that’s when things get extra sweet. The banter, the love, the way Pat quietly steals the show it feels like we’re all pulling up a chair in their family kitchen. And out of all the recipes they’ve made together, there’s one that has completely stolen the spotlight: the family’s blackberry cobbler.
The Backstory That Makes It Special
This is not an “add some berries to a pan” type of recipe. It’s a recipe with history. Jennifer originally posted it on Instagram in 2021, but it got momentum when Jennifer and Pat did it together on the TODAY show in June 2024. Fans flipped out not only because the cobbler was amazing, but because the history behind it was rich as the cake.
Blackberry Cobbler
Equipment
- 1 3-quart Baking Dish
- 1 Medium Mixing Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Set of Measuring Cups and Spoons
- 1 Rubber Spatula or Pastry Brush For greasing the baking dish
Ingredients
Main
- 1/2 stick butter melted, plus more for greasing pan
- 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
- Whipped cream and/or ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar with the flour and milk. Whisk in the melted butter.
- Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the blackberries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 1 hour. When 10 minutes of the cooking time remains, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the top. Top with whipped cream or ice cream . . . or both!
Notes
The recipe had been Barbara Lantz’s originally, a long-time family friend Jennifer fondly refers to as her “bonus mom.” Everyone playfully referred to her as Mrs. L, and as Jennifer described, “she was the very best cook.” She’d provided this recipe for Pat years ago, and Pat’s passed it along ever since.
Pat even admitted on the air that she made it three times in a week’s time. And at a party over the weekend? The guests plunged right for the cobbler before they touched anything else. “I never have to send any of it home with me,” she laughed. That’s the sign of a really super dish when it vanishes before you can get seconds.
Why This Cobbler Hits Different
So what’s the secret? Trust me, it’s not that hard. That’s actually the secret. Here’s why this cobbler has everyone in its thrall:
1. It’s absurdly easy: No fancy equipment. No wacky ingredients. No finicky steps where you’re furrowing your brow and wondering if you’re accidentally trying out for a cooking show. Just plain old-fashioned baking.
2. The fruit does all the heavy lifting: Ripe blackberries are the MVP of the moment. Okay, frozen will do too in a pinch, but if you can somehow find a way to get your hands on ripe, sun-warmed berries? That’s it, over. The taste just explodes sweet, tangy, juicy, drippy heaven.
3. Texture matters: The bottom is foamy and jammy, and the topping tops golden and lightly crispy at the edges but soft in the center. It’s not fussy, it’s rustic. The topping is not supposed to be lumpy, no, and that’s precisely why it is successful.
4. It feels nostalgic: If you grew up spending your summer afternoons with cobblers, crisps, and pies, then you know what I’m talking about. Take a bite and you’re eight years old again, sitting on a porch with sticky hands and not a care in the world. That’s what this kind of food does it takes you away.
Exie Mae Garner’s Sweet Potato Pudding
Equipment
- 1 Large Pot For boiling sweet potatoes
- 1 Hand-held Electric Mixer Essential for smooth pudding texture
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl For combining all ingredients
- 1 9×13 inch Casserole Dish For baking the pudding
- 1 Measuring Cups and Spoons For accurate ingredient portions
Ingredients
Main
- 4 medium sweet potatoes peeled and quartered
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 eggs
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons butter
- One 16-ounce bag miniature marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot of water, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Remove the lid, lower the heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes and place them in a large bowl. Using a hand-held electric mixer, break up the potatoes. At low speed add the sugar, milk, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, eggs, salt to taste, and combine.
- Butter a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish and pour in the mixture. Smooth the top and bake until the pudding is set, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Cover the top of the pudding with marshmallows, change the oven temperature to the broil setting and cook until the marshmallows are brown and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.
Notes
For the filling:
- 6 cups fresh blackberries (frozen may be used)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- A pinch of cinnamon (optional)
- A pinch of salt
- For the topping:
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
And Jennifer and Pat promise the one sure finishing touch is a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream on top. Don’t skip this step, they swear.
Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp
Equipment
- 1 9×14-inch Oval Baking Dish Or similar sized oven-safe dish.
- 1 Electric Mixer With paddle attachment, for crumb topping.
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl For combining apple mixture and topping ingredients.
- 1 Vegetable Peeler & Corer Or a sharp chef’s knife for apple preparation.
- 1 Baking Sheet To place under the baking dish to catch any spills and ensure even baking.
Ingredients
Main
- 5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples
- Grated zest of 1 orange
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1/2 pound cold unsalted butter diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.
- Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish.
- To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.
- Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.
Notes
How to Prepare It (Without Freaking Out)
Apple Crisp
Equipment
- 2 Mixing Bowls One for filling, one for topping
- 8 Ramekins 7 to 8-ounce capacity
- 1 Chef’s knife For chopping apples
- 1 Pastry Blender Alternatively, use your fingertips or two forks
- 1 Baking Sheet To hold ramekins during baking
Ingredients
Main
- 5 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, chopped small
- 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons chilled butter cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Instructions
- For the Filling:Â Mix all the ingredients together. Place into 7 to 8-ounce ramekins.
- For the Topping:Â Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Blend the butter into the mixture until it forms pea size lumps. Stir in pecans and sprinkle over filling.
- Bake crisps for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Step 1: Prep and preheat.
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease or spray a 9×13 inch baking dish so nothing will stick.
Step 2: The berry mixture.
Mix your blackberries with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Spread them out in your dish.
Step 3: The topping.
In another bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in the milk (it’s okay to have lumps here). Whisk in the melted butter and just mix.
Step 4: Assemble
Spoonfuls of that topping fall over the berries. Don’t worry if it doesn’t cover it all the gaps allow the fruit to bubble up nicely.
Step 5: Bake.
Fill it with the oven for 45–50 minutes. The top will be golden and the filling edges will be bubbling when it’s done. Let it rest for around 15 minutes before diving in so the juices have a chance to settle.
Pro Tips from the Garners (and Me)
- Fresh berries = better flavor.
- Don’t pat your berries dry the extra juice makes magic.
- Lumpy topping is perfect. Don’t overthink it.
- Finishing with melted butter provides you with that golden crust.
- Taste berry mix prior to baking. In case it’s too sour, sprinkle some additional sugar.
Big Daddy’s Apple Cobbler
Equipment
- 1 Baking Dish 9×9-inch
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl For apple mixture
- 1 Medium Mixing Bowl For cobbler topping
- 1 Wooden Spoon For mixing
- 1 Vegetable Peeler For apples
Ingredients
Main
- Butter for dish
- 6 cups Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and diced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- Pinch ground nutmeg
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- Ginger Whipped Cream recipe follows
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 cup self-rising flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Pinch salt
- Pinch ground ginger
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 cup whipping cream chilled
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup candy ginger minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Lightly butter a 9 by 9-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, mix together the apples, sugars, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, nutmeg and lemon. Add the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Add all the topping ingredients to a medium bowl and combine well with a wooden spoon, to form a batter. Dollop the batter in various spots on top of the apple mixture. The batter will spread as it bakes. Put the cobbler in the oven and bake until the apples are tender and the crust is colored, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with Ginger Whipped Cream.
Notes
In Case Things Go Sideways (Because Sometimes They Do)
- Runny filling? Bake a bit longer or add an extra tablespoon of flour to the next batch.
- Topping too crunchy? Splash in a bit more milk.
- Too dark? Tent foil towards the end.
- Sticking? Grease that pan thoroughly.
- Not sweet enough? Tweak the sugar to your berries these are never quite the same twice.
Fun Twists to Try
This cobbler is that go to friend who’s always up for whatever. You can adapt it to your mood or the season:
- Blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries.
- Peaches or nectarines in summer.
- Apples or pears with a sprinkle of cinnamon in autumn.
- A gluten free flour mix if you need it.
- Plant milk + vegan butter for dairy free alternative.
- Add chopped nuts for texture.
- A squeeze of lemon or orange zest for a little zing.
Serving and Storing
Best way to eat it? Fresh out of the oven with ice cream, naturally. But if you do find yourself with leftovers (not likely, but you never know), they’ll be good for up to three days in the fridge. Oven reheat brings back the topping.
You can actually make it ahead build the entire thing, store it in the refrigerator, and bake it off later that night. Just don’t attempt to freeze it after it is baked; the topping isn’t worth it.
More Than Just Dessert
At the end, that blackberry cobbler is fruit, flour, and sugar. It’s family. It’s Jennifer holding on to the memory of Mrs. L. It’s Pat cooking love into a dish she’s made a hundred times. It’s the way a recipe can move from kitchen to kitchen, generation to generation, and bring people together.
And when you make it yourself, you’re not merely baking a cobbler, you’re inserting yourself into tradition. You’re earning your place in the history, bite by sinfully delicious, jam-packed, buttery bite.
So grab those blackberries, turn on that oven, and prepare to experience a little bit of Garner family history. Just don’t forget ice cream.
