Old Fashioned Chocolate Cobbler

Made with mostly pantry staples, this Old Fashioned Chocolate Cobbler comes together quickly for a warm and comforting dessert. Serve with generous scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cobbler

Chocolate cobbler is one of those old-school recipes that has endured for decades because of its genius simplicity. And for its seemingly magical transformation in the oven. It is also one of the most deliciously warm and comforting desserts you’ll find! It’s easy enough to throw together on a weeknight. But you’ll want to make it for company, too. It’s good any time of year, but it’s especially good to tuck into on a cold winter’s night.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cobbler

This cobbler is made using lots of dry pantry staples, milk, and butter. Eggs are conspicuously missing, but that’s what makes this dish cobbler instead of cake. 

If you have considerations for Veganuary (which is a popular thing, I hear!) this recipe can easily be altered. Butter could be swapped for Earth Balance ‘buttery sticks’ (margarine) and milk for oat or another plant-based milk. Also be sure your chocolate chips are a dairy-free brand such as Enjoy Life.

Easy Cobbler Assembly.

First, melt the butter in the baking dish in a preheated oven. Next stir together the base ingredients predictably enough: add wet to dry. It’s the moment when you remove the dish from the oven and begin dolloping the batter over the butter that you may start to question things. 

Yes, it’s a lot of butter.  No, you’re not doing anything wrong! My advice is to be at peace with this step and know the end result will make you happy and feed your soul. 

The Magic Ingredient is Boiled Water? Yes!

Last, pour boiling water over everything in the dish, which sounds totally bananas, but it works. Do not stir! All of those layers will transform in the oven to a crackled, chewy crust with chocolate pudding hidden underneath.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cobbler

Bake until crusty, and a bit of jiggle still remains in the center of the cobbler when it comes out of the oven. Don’t worry about the middle being underdone! Remember, there are no eggs in this dish. Old Fashioned Chocolate Cobbler is supposed to be completely ooey-gooey underneath that crackled crust.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cobbler

Cool the cobbler slightly before digging in. The pudding underneath will be molten and too hot to eat at first. Serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Which will cut the richness and creates pools of cold cream over the warm chocolate pudding. Or, freshly whipped cream is lovely, too. Add a big old dollop and dig in!

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cobbler

Heather Baird
Made with mostly pantry staples, this chocolate cobbler comes together quickly for a warm and comforting dessert. Serve with generous scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Please note that this recipe uses self-rising flour. If you don't have it on hand, see the recipe notes for making your own with all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3/4 cup salted butter
  • 1 cup self-rising flour 
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar divided
  • 1 cup granulated sugar divided
  • 7 tablespoons unsweet dark cocoa powder divided
  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
  • Vanilla ice cream for serving

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Place the butter in an 11×7-inch baking dish (or similar size such as 8×8 square). Place the dish in the oven until the butter melts completely, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, 1/3 cup (65g) of the granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the cocoa. In a separate measuring pitcher with a pour spout, combine the milk and vanilla; mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until batter forms with no streaks of flour remaining.
  • Dollop the batter over the melted butter in the pan but do not stir. The batter will sink and the butter will pool to the top.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining 5 tablespoons of cocoa, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, and 2/3 cup of granulated sugar. Whisk to combine. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the baking dish. Do not stir.
  • Gently pour the boiling water over the layered mixture in the pan. Do not stir.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the crust is formed and set on top. Cobbler may jiggle a little when removed from the oven, this is normal. Let cool slightly before portioning warm cobbler to dishes; top with scoops of vanilla ice cream.
  • Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator. Re-warm bowls of cobbler in the microwave, or reheat ramekins of cobbler in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Notes

If you don’t have salted butter, add a pinch of salt to the batter.
If you don’t have self-rising flour on hand, combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Use in place of self-rising flour in this recipe.
Keyword chocolate cobbler, pudding cake, self-saucing pudding, vintage recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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Anonymous
Anonymous
3 years ago

This is a delicious cold weather comfort food! We made a version of this many Sunday nights when I was a kid but called it Brownie Pudding.

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
3 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

I think that's an appropriate name! It seems more correct that 'chocolate cobbler'.

Anonymous
Anonymous
3 years ago

I especially love when you post recipes that use pantry ingredients- I loved the ones you posted during the first wave last spring and it’s nice to see one again – hopefully there will be more!

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
3 years ago
Reply to  Anonymous

Thank you! So glad to hear. I've been seeking out others, and if testing goes well there will certainly be more to come. xo-h

lydia
lydia
3 years ago

Yes yes yes! Thank you for another vegan-adaptable recipe!!! <3

Can't wait to make this one… yum!

Christine
Christine
3 years ago

Is there a typo when you list that you made this in a 1 1/2 quart casserole? I tried that size and have a bunch of burnt batter on the bottom of the toaster oven. This may also be related to the fact I didn't have self-rising flour and used the baking soda substitution you gave, I don't know.

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
3 years ago

Hi Christine, I did indeed make this in a deep 1 1/2 quart casserole (pictured). Is it possible that the pan was too close to the bottom element in your toaster oven? I baked this one on the middle rack in a regular oven.

Kathy A
Kathy A
3 years ago

Possibly the issue might be using baking soda instead of powder? Baking powder is usually suggested to make your own self-rising flour like so: https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/cooking-questions/self-rising-flour-substitute

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
3 years ago
Reply to  Kathy A

Hi Kathy,
Thanks for your comment. Did you have the same outcome as Christine? You are absolutely correct about the baking powder versus soda. This was a mistake on the old recipe card I copied the recipe from. It is corrected in my recipe now. However, I'm not certain this would have caused the burned batter, so I'm testing it with the baking soda + flour version today. Will report back. Thanks again!