Banana Cobbler

Banana Cobbler. This was a recipe that I got from a little Ma & Pa style restaurant many years ago during a trip driving from Ohio to Florida. We stopped in one of the southern states (can't remember which one) and this was on the menu. They shared the recipe with me. I misplaced that hand written card...but I found it while organizing a cupboard. This is a great recipe because you can keep it very simple...or you can add extra ingredients to it. I personally like to add some shredded coconut to the batter portion and use coconut milk whenever possible. However, we have some friends that don't care for coconut (since we are coconut lovers at our house...we can't imagine not liking coconut!) so I make the basic recipe whenever they come over. I made the traditional, basic recipe today.

This is a great recipe to use very ripe bananas if you don't feel like making a banana bread or banana cake. This recipe is called a "cobbler" but it is really a combination of a cobbler & a crisp. It has the batter of a cobbler on the bottom with an oatmeal crisp topping. You can also substitute any type of fruit if you prefer. I have also added some chunked pineapple and have substituted peaches, apples, pears, berries or drained fruit cocktail in the past. It all works. That is what I love about cobblers & crisp recipes...you can substitute ingredients easily and they still turn out awesome! If you want to make it into a "Hawaiian version" then you can use a combination of banana, pineapple and/or mango and coconut. It is heavenly!

Banana Cobbler Recipe:

Cake Batter:

• 1 1/2 cup gluten free flour blend (if you don't have a gluten allergy then just use regular flour!)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum or guar gum (only use this if your gluten free flour doesn't contain it. Omit if you don't have a gluten allergy and are using regular flour!)
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 3/4 cup milk or fruit juice (you can substitute coconut milk, almond milk, soy milk or use the reserved fruit juice if you are using canned fruit)
• 1/2 cup butter, margarine, Crisco or cream cheese, softened (if you are using margarine make sure it is at least 65% fat or else it contains too much water and don't use fat free cream cheese or it will not bake correctly!)
• 1 tsp. almond or vanilla extract (I like using almond extract)
• (I also like to add about 1/2 cup shredded coconut to batter but I did not in today's recipe. I stuck with the basic/traditional recipe that does not call for coconut)

Topping (Crisp) Recipe:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar or honey (can substitute agave nectar)
• 1/4 cup gluten free flour or ground up gluten free oats (put oats in blender to get flour texture). You can use regular flour if you don't have a gluten allergy!
• 1/2 cup softened real butter (I prefer real butter for the flavor but you can substitute margarine or oil)
• 1 cup gluten free oats (I used Trader Joe's brand gluten free oats today. I will admit that I have used regular Quaker brand oats in the past without any issues but I stay away from store brand/generic oats because I have had hives from cross contamination).
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts or almonds, optional (I did not use any nuts today because I didn't have any on hand 

Filling:

• 3-4 ripe bananas, sliced (peels should have black spots on them) or 1.5 to 2 cups fruit without juice or pie filling. (You can also add extra fillings like coconut, raisins, cranberries, nuts, dates or whatever you like. Sometimes I will add 2 bananas and some pineapple chunks & a handful of shredded coconut). Be creative!

 Grease a 9x9 or 11x7 or 9" round cake pan or casserole dish. Prepare the batter by mixing all the cake batter ingredients together with a spoon. Mix until smooth and well blended but don't over-mix. Pour into greased pan. Spoon the chopped fruit on top of the batter. Combine all the topping (crisp) ingredients together with a spoon. Sprinkle on top of the fruit. Bake 350 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. (The bottom cake batter should be cooked through).

Cobbler Batter layer in a 9" round casserole dish

Banana chunks layered on top of the cobbler batter

Crisp topping layer on top of the banana chunks

Removed from the oven & cut into it

Serving up the basic banana cobbler recipe

Up close view of the banana cobbler recipe (basic recipe)

Ready to eat! Yummy!

This is great served with ice cream. My husband likes to eat it for breakfast with a little bit of maple syrup on top (served warm). He says it is like a baked french toast. This is a great recipe to have on hand because you can serve it as a dessert or you can serve it for brunch since it resembles a coffee cake. I love it because you can add coconut or fruit juice to the cobbler batter and change the flavor of the cake. You can substitute ANY fruit you prefer or add additional ingredients like coconut, cranberries, raisins, dates, etc with the fruit for added texture and flavor. I love flexible recipes like this! I was brought up learning to cook with the ingredients you have on hand so recipes frequently got a work over at our house!

Enjoy!
Tanja
Gluten Free Casually