A cakey crisp top with molten fudginess below.

When you think of cobbler, you probably think of bubbly saucy fruit topped with a sweet biscuity batter, so fudgy chocolate doesn’t immediately come to mind. But with its ooey-gooey molten bottom and cakey chocolate top, this old-fashioned Southern Chocolate Cobbler definitely fits the cobbler parameters. It’s a similar combination of textures, there’s just no fruit to be seen. Just oodles of rich chocolate, which is always good news.

Serves 6
5m prep time
40m cook time

FOR THE BATTER:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING:

2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups boiling water
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place butter in a 9×13-inch baking dish and put in oven. Once butter has melted, remove and set aside.

Stir together the 1 1/2 cups sugar, 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, flour, milk, baking powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Spoon into baking dish over melted butter, but do not stir.

In a separate bowl, mix together the 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup cocoa powder. Sprinkle over batter in pan. Pour boiling water over topping, but again do not stir.

Bake until top has set, 35-40 minutes. The bottom will be loose and a bit gooey.

Let cool 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!