Summer Berry Cobbler-full of strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, this cobbler is the perfect summer treat!

I had the pleasure of meeting Gina Homolka, the author of the blog Skinnytaste and the New York Times Best Seller Skinnytaste Cookbook at a retreat last month. You would think a sweets lover like myself and someone with the name “Skinny” attached wouldn’t have much in common. That’s what I thought going in.

I was wrong, so wrong. Gina is a delight. Funny, down to earth and not at all liked I feared. Not one of those “only eats a salad with 3 pieces of lettuce and a drop of dressing on the side.” No, she enjoys all food. It’s more about cutting back when possible and moderation in everything else. She and Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen made cooking look fun!

They even made leftovers taste amazing.

I have to tell you, I was always jealous whenever I heard of friends going on a girls’ weekend. A weekend away from the family, to just let loose, let go of worries. A retreat is a more than just having fun. It’s a way to connect, on a personal level, with others. We talked lots of shop (blogging,) about family, life, goals, the future. I gained so much insight from these ladies-Lindsey of Pinch of Yum, Jaden of Steamy Kitchen, Elise of Simply Recipes, Lori of Recipegirl, Gina of Skinnytaste, Ali of Gimme Some Oven, and Robin of Add a Pinch.

After a weekend of sharing ideas, laughing, some wine, and gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean, I was inspired and renewed in my goals.

I was thrilled to receive a copy of Skinnytaste in the mail a week later.

While I love Gina, I feared her book would be full of boring “healthy” recipes, either using hard to find substitutions or things I know my family would never try.

I was wrong! Yes, she does have some Tofu in there (and I’m not ready to go there yet,) But I can tell you, our dinnertime is being revived. I’ve always said I hate to cook, but I love to bake. It’s true, cooking the same old favorites, week in and week out, gets dull. But I know my family will like it.

You know what else my family now likes? The Buttermilk Oven “Fried’ Chicken on page 151.

And the Chicken Marsala on page 167.

Don’t think it’s all about dinner, how about Dad’s Jammin’ Crepes for breakfast on page 51

Next on my list of recipes to try are her Pumpkin Obsessed Vanilla Glazed Scones, the Warm Apple-Pear Crumble and with grilling season now here the Teriyaki-Glazed Grilled Pork Chops.

Since we are in Strawberry Season here (I love having a u-pick field 5 minutes from my house!) I wanted to make this Summer Berry Cobbler. It’s hard for me to keep fresh berries in my house. I have this one child who eats them like candy (not a bad thing) but I have to make sure she knows that they will taste even better baked into a recipe.

Just simple ingredients

Strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. I almost added blueberries too, but, again, my fruit lover wanted those.

A simple topping

Dusted with Raw Sugar instead of white sugar. That’s one of the easy substitutions. So simple. I use raw sugar for decorating cookies or on top of muffins. Low-Fat buttermilk, you can’t tell the difference in baking. Some ingredients I didn’t have on hand, like the wheat flour (it’s half wheat, half all-purpose in the book) so I just used all-purpose. I didn’t have whipped butter so I just used regular butter. So my version isn’t quite as “healthy” as Gina’s but let me tell you, my family couldn’t wait for this to cool off enough to dig in.

Spoons at the ready, They were eating it straight from the pie plate.

Normally we serve cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. We didn’t even think about the ice cream until a few days later. And my kids ate the leftovers cold from the fridge the next day. It was that good.

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adapted from the Skinnytaste Cookbook

Yield: 6 servings

Summer Berry Cobbler

Ingredients

Filling-
1/2 cup raw sugar*
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 1/2 cups blackberries
2 cups strawberries, cored and sliced
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Topping-
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons Raw Sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 Tablespoon canola oil*
2 teaspoons Raw Sugar (for dusting)

Instructions

Prepare the filling-In a large bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt, stir to fully combine. Add fruit and toss to coat. Add lemon zest and lemon juice and toss again. Spoon filling into a pie plate. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 22-24 minutes, until edges are bubbly.
Prepare the topping-
Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry cutter or 2 knives until butter is the size of small peas. Combine buttermilk and oil then add to flour mixture just until all ingredients are moistened.
Carefully remove pie plate from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Spoon topping over top of berries, then sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of Raw Sugar. Return to the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until topping is completely baked and golden and berries are bubbling. Remove from oven and let rest for 20 minutes before serving.