Foolproof Cobbler

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Prepare the fruit: Prepare the fruit as necessary — wash, peel, stem, seed, slice, and so on. Give it a taste and mix in some sugar or lemon juice as needed. If your fruit is juicy or you'd like a more firmly set cobbler, mix in some cornstarch. Mix in spices, if desired.
3. Transfer the fruit to the baking dish: The fruit should fill the dish halfway to three-quarters full, leaving a good inch or so of extra space for the cobbler topping.
4. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt for the cobbler topping in a bowl
5. Mix the melted butter into the flour and sugar. Warm butter is fine, but if it's still piping hot from being melted, let it stand for a few minutes before mixing.
6. Mix to form a crumbly dough: The cobbler topping will be quite sandy and crumbly, but should hold together when you pinch it. If not, add a little more flour.
7. Pat handfuls of dough into thick palm-sized disks. The disks should be 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick — no need to be super exact.
8. Lay the disks over the fruit filling: Overlap the disks to make a "cobblestone" look. If you have any extra topping, crumble it and sprinkle it over the surface of the cobbler.
9. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes: Place the cobbler on a baking sheet to catch drips, or place aluminum foil beneath it in the oven. Bake the cobbler until the topping is turning golden around the edges and the fruit filling is bubbling, 45 to 55 minutes.
10. Cool and serve: Let the cobbler cool for at least a few minutes so it doesn't burn your mouth! The cobbler can also be served room temperature, or the next day. Cover and refrigerate the pan with any leftovers.