Chocolate cobbler

Growing up, I always thought the reason we had this so often was because everyone liked it so much, but according to Mama, the frequency of this dessert had a lot more to do with it being so quick, easy, and, most importantly, budget friendly. Generally, most folks have these ingredients on hand. It doesn’t hurt that you don’t even need an egg for it. This cobbler bakes up magically. When you pull it out of the oven you’ll have a rich chocolate cake layer on top and a hot fudge saucy layer beneath. I highly recommend serving it with ice cream. We frequently package the dry ingredients and give them along with the recipe as Christmas gifts.

1 cup self-rising flour

¾ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup chopped pecans, optional

¾ cup brown sugar

1¾ cups hot water

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease an 8 x 8-inch baking pan.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the cocoa powder. Add the milk, vanilla, oil, and nuts, if using. Mix well. Pour into the baking pan.
• In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and ¼ cup cocoa powder together. Sprinkle over the batter. Very slowly pour the hot tap water over the dry mixture and batter. (Be sure you pour the water slowly or you’ll mix up the ingredients. I put my water in a measuring cup and gently pour it into the dish over the batter.)
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. To test for doneness, stick a toothpick in no more than ½ inch. If it comes out clean, the cobbler is done.

6 servings