Brown Betty is an American type of cobbler dating back to colonial times. It was based on a crumble of British origin.
In 1864, the Yale Literary Magazine printed an article with "brown" in lower case, making "Betty" the proper name. It's believed that Betty may have been the name of a slave cook or servant that first prepared the dish and brown was a reference to her complexion.
Brown Bettys are made with bread crumbs or cubed pieces of white bread, graham crackers crumbs and fruit, usually sliced apples, in alternating layers baked to the consistency of a bread pudding.
It's usually served with a sauce, whipped cream, custard, heavy cream or ice cream.
The following recipes are a variety of fruit Brown Bettys.
Apple Brown Betty is probably the most familiar recipe. Many of the recipes here are Amish or Mennonite.
They are very common recipes and can be found in many vintage cook books. I haven't researched recipes in newer books. I've adapted some of these recipes to make them more current. I've even changed some of the pan sizes, some recipes ask to bake it "in a pan". Older recipes have a tendency to be vague. It's not unusual to come across ingredients that no longer exist. I often see a recipe that says to use a "lump" of butter. Many recipes call for lard or oleo and I simply replace it with butter. If it said to bake "until".... I took the liberty to either putting in what I consider a basic direction or I left it as stated.
Apple Brown Betty:
4 C sliced apples ( I use Jonagold )
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 C cubed bread
2 tsp butter
1/4 hot water
Grease an 8"x8" pan with butter
Layer the pan in the following order:
a layer of half of the apples
a layer of half of the bread
1/2 of the sugar
repeat
sprinkle with cinnamon
add the hot water
Cover with foil
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes
Remove foil and bake until browned
Serve with a Lemon or Brandy Sauce.
Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!
Blueberry Brown Betty:
5 C fresh blueberries
1 TBS lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 C flour
1 C sugar
1/2 C butter
Combine:
berries
lemon juice
salt
Place in an 8"x8" baking pan greased with butter ( I use my Pan Release , or you could use a vegetable cooking spray) Since Cooking Spray didn't exist when some of these recipes were written, most of them stated butter as the ingredient for greasing the pan.
Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl and spread over the berry mix.
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. I would probably bake at 350 degrees and adjust the time...
Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!
Peach Brown Betty:
1 28oz can of sliced peaches
3 C stale bread crumbs
1/2 C butter, melted
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
zest of one lemon and the juice of 1/2 of the lemon
Place peaches and crumbs in a bowl
Add butter, sugar, salt, cinnamon, zest and lemon juice
Butter an 8'x8' baking pan
Pour batter into the baking pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.
Enjoy! Peace in the Kitchen!
Pear Brown Betty:
6 C cubed fresh white bread
1/4 C butter, melted
2 cans ( 15 1/4 oz. ea.) sliced pears in heavy syrup. reserve only 1/2 C of the syrup
3/4 C firm pressed brown sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter an 8"x8"
Toss bread with melted butter in a large bowl
Combine pears, 1/2 C brown sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves
Layer :
1/3 bread
1/2 pear mixture
1/3 bread
repeat with remaining bread and pears
Top with reserved syrup
Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 C brown sugar
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!
Pineapple Brown Betty:
15 graham crackers, crushed
3 C crushed pineapple
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
4 TBS butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Layer 1/3 of the graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of a buttered 8"x8" baking pan
Add half of the pineapple
Combine brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle half of it over the pineapple
Repeat crumbs and pineapple layers and sprinkle with remaining sugar
Dot with butter
Bake 30 minutes until brown and crusty
Serve with whipped cream
Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!
Banana Brown Betty:
Crumbs:
2 1/2 C plain white bread crumbs
1/3 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 stick (8TBS) butter, melted
Filling:
1 C heavy cream
2 eggs
1/2 C packed brown sugar
2 TBS cornstarch
2 TBS flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 C dark rum
4 bananas, sliced
Prepare Crumb mixture in a small bowl, mix well:
bread crumbs
sugar
cinnamon
butter
Prepare filling:
In a saucepan bring milk to a simmer
In a small bowl,beat with an electric hand mixer:
eggs
sugar
cornstarch
flour
salt
beat until it thickens
Pour half of the warm milk into the egg mixture, whisk constantly
Whisk the mixture back into the warm milk in the saucepan
Simmer, whisking constantly until it thickens (about 1 minute), do not overcook
Remove from heat and whisk for another minute
Whisk in vanilla and rum
Fold bananas into the custard mixture
Press half of the breadcrumbs into an 8"x8" baking pan
Top with banana custard mixture
Top with remaining crumbs
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 mnutes
The top should be golden brown
Serve with whipped cream
Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!
Rhubarb Brown Betty:
1 C plain white bread crumbs
1/4 C packed brown sugar
2/3 C white granulated sugar + 1C
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
a pinch of cloves
4 C (1" pieces of diced rhubarb)
zest of one lemon
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 C sliced almonds
4 TBS cold butter, cut into pieces + more for the skillet
Whisk together in a small bowl:
bread crumbs
brown sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar
cinnamon
allspice
ginger
clove
In another bowl:
Toss rhubarb with remaining 2/3 C granulated sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice
Butter an 8"x8" baking dish
Sprinkle 3 TBS of the bread crumb mixture in the baking dish
Top with rhubarb
Sprinkle with remaining crumbs
Top with almonds
Dot with butter
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes
Cool slightly
Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!
Cobbler: This most popular rustic dessert is basically any fruit topped with a biscuit-like batter that's baked.
Crumbles and crisps: These two desserts are basically the same. They're fruit topped with a crumbly mixture of sugar, flour, and usually oats and/or nuts, which is then baked.
Grunt and slumps: Specialties of New England, these desserts are like cobbler, but they are cooked on the stove top, basically steamed under a lid.
Pandowdy: Also like cobbler, except that halfway during baking, the biscuit crust is pushed down into the fruit to absorb the liquid.
Betty: Similar to the crumble and crisp, a betty is made with fruit (usually apples) topped with bread crumbs or cubes.
Buckle: This dessert features layers of cake-like batter, fruit and crumbs.
