Blackberry dumplins

A few weeks ago, my family and I went to a blackberry farm and picked til our hearts were content.  Well, almost.  It was 96 degrees and we picked til we gave out, really.  We managed 5 gallons.  After freezing them, I have been on a mission to find the PERFECT recipe.  I've found some good ones, but this one that I'm fixing to share with y'all is a family favorite.  When I tell people Blackberry dumplins are the best way to eat blackberries, I get several different reactions.  They range from looks of disgust to curiosity.   The dish is simple, yet complicated....rustic, yet elegant and I promise you won't be disappointed in the end result.  That being said, my mommas is better than mine and I can't figure that out, but nevertheless, mine is pretty good.  Also, I don't normally post a lot of pics with my recipes, but with this one, it was a must.

First, start with two cups of blackberries and 1 cup of sugar in a saucepan.  You will need to add some water and I added two cups.  There's no specific amount...you will just need to watch the amount of juice you have when adding the dumplins.  You can easily adjust at several different points. 

Bring the berries and sugar up to a slow boil and allow berries to break apart and create a luscious, cranberry colored syrup.  Should take 5-7 minutes.  I even used frozen berries and my cooking time didn't change.

See what I mean?!  Wow.  Many recipes call for straining the juice at this point.  It's perfectly acceptable to do and please do if if you feel like it.  This woman does not strain her blackberry concoction because frankly, the texture of the seeds does not bother me (or my tummy) and I do not want to do anything to make this recipe take longer.  The sooner I can plate this up the better!  Keep your berries and juice simmering while you make the dumplins.  Combine 1 cup of self-rising flour with 2 tbsp of butter and cut in until butter is the size of peas.  Add enough milk to make a sticky dough.  I would say around a 1/2 cup.  Again, this will depend on several factors, especially humidity.  Our humidity has been hovering around 80%, so I have to use less liquid than most.

When dough leaves sides of bowl, you are  ready to pour out onto a well-floured surface.  Oh how I love to work with dough!!!  After kneading a few times, you will have a perfect little ball of dough!



Next, roll out dough to an 1/8" thickness and cut into squares.  Hopefully yours will be less irregular than mine...I still think my Five yr old did a pretty dang good job!

Drop dumplings into your simmering juice and cover and cook for 20 minutes.  NO PEEKING ALLOWED.  This is soo important.  I am no good at no peeking, so I make sure my pots and pans have glass lids.  I am a cheater when it comes to food ;)



This is what your dumplins should look like as soon as you drop them.....but in 20 short minutes you will have this....



If you want to be a really bad girl like me, feel free to spoon them up while they are still steamin' and pour cold heavy cream over the top.  I cannot stress how wonderful this is.  A scoop of vanilla ice cream doesn't hurt the experience either.  Whenever I make this recipe, I can't help but feel like my momma is standing next to me in the kitchen.  This is true Southern cooking at its finest.