A Classic Cobbler Style That Fell Out Of Fashion (But Shouldn't Have)

Cobblers are truly underappreciated desserts. There are so many varieties of them, but most of them revolve around fruit — peaches, apples, cherries, and the like. However, there is a forgotten vintage cobbler recipe that's poised to make a comeback, and it's one chocolate lovers will fall head over heels for. 

Chocolate cobbler is a vintage chocolate treat that's rich, dense, and made with love. The recipe, sometimes called pudding cake, is like a cross between a pudding and a cake. To assemble it, the batter (made with ingredients like brown sugar, milk, vanilla, chocolate, and flour) is added to the base of the baking dish before being topped with more dry ingredients (which are not stirred in). Then the treat is topped with boiling water before baking until it's molten, gooey, and decadent. 

The origins of this dish are hard to pinpoint, but it's fair to say that its association with the word "cobbler" (despite eschewing fruit entirely) makes it decidedly Southern. Others have said that the dessert was popular from the 1900s into the Great Depression, as it was made with simple, pantry staples that could satisfy families on a budget. 

The purpose of this dish may have been to be a budget-friendly dessert made with cheap, widely available ingredients, but that doesn't mean you're limited to the OG recipe. For one, you can add compatible fruit to the batter for a more "authentic" cobbler experience; try plump cherries for a twist on Black Forest cake. Meanwhile, adding espresso powder to the dry ingredients would enhance the chocolate's flavor. Other folks have recommended using hot coffee instead of boiling water, which would also enhance the chocolatey overtones and help develop its signature molten-on-the-bottom, cake-on-the-top texture.

The toppings for this dessert are also seemingly limitless. A scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream would really highlight the chocolate notes and molten texture, while a drizzle of caramel or chocolate sauce would make it even more decadent. Some folks have even suggested adding a dollop of marshmallow creme to the top; pair it with a graham cracker sprinkle for a s'mores take on this chocolatey vintage favorite.