Recipe Swap: With blackberry season underway, start picking and cooking

Blackberries are coming on with a loaded crop, and they are so sweet and fresh right now. Find a place to go pick and load up for these favorite recipes and enjoy the harvest while it lasts. My sister Pat has blackberry bushes, and we enjoy using the berries just about any way imaginable. Here are a few recipes to get you started, but the sky is the limit for using blackberries. Maybe you have a favorite recipe you would like to pass along to us to share with other readers.

Blackberry Buckle

The wonderful thing about buckle is you can change the berry to blueberries or raspberries and have the same great treat.

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups sweetened blackberries

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour and cinnamon mix. Cream butter and sugar well. Beat in egg add dry ingredients add milk and vanilla. Spread in buttered and floured 7-inch pan, add blackberries over batter, sprinkle crumb mixture over berries. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with whipped topping.

Blackberry Slump

1 quart blackberries, washed and stemmed

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In greased baking dish pour in berries and sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups sugar. Use less if the berries are very sweet. In a separate bowl combine the other ingredients. Pour flour mix over berries. Bake 45 minutes or until the crust is light brown and bubbly. Serve with fresh whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Blackberry Dumplings

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

3 1/2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

4 cups water

1 1/2 quarts blackberries

In a bowl, combine melted butter, milk, eggs, 1 cup sugar and vanilla. In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to liquid and stir. Do not over mix. In large skillet, combine water, 2 1/2 cups sugar and blackberries. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens. Drop dumpling batter by the spoonful into blackberry mixture and cook dumplings till they rise. Test with fork to see if they are done. When fork comes out clean, remove dumplings and continue with remaining batter.

Serve dumplings warm, topped with blackberry mixture. Whipped cream or ice cream is optional but good!

Blackberry Cobbler

2 1/2 quarts fresh blackberries, washed

3 cups sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 to 1/2 cup flour

Make pie crust for 2 to 3 pies. Mix berries, sugar, juice and flour well. Let set until the berries form their own juice. Line a cake pan with pie crust; pour in berry mixture. Cut remaining pie crust into strips and crisscross on top of cobbler or lay a solid piece over entire pan top. Drop slices of butter in lattice squares. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Creamy Blackberry Pie

3 cups fresh blackberries

1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pastry shell

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup commercial sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter

Place 3 cups blackberries in pastry shell. Combine 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour and salt. Add eggs and sour cream, stirring until blended. Spoon over blackberries. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle evenly over sour cream mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes or until lightly browned. If desired, garnish with blackberries and mint leaves. Yield: One 9-inch pie.

Blackberry Crumble

1 quart fresh blackberries

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup butter

Place blackberries in large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar. Mix well. Let stand for several minutes. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Mix well. Cut in butter until crumbly. Spoon blackberries into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle oats mixture over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Note: 1 quart fresh blackberries equals 4 cups whole blackberries or 2 cups crushed blackberries.

Blackberry Salad Dressing

2 cups blackberries

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 to 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Puree all ingredients together. Gently toss with a bed of delicious greens and enjoy.

Enjoy blackberries while they are fresh and abundant and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at news@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by Southeast Missourian staff.