Cherry Cobbler

Baking isn't really my thing. Before starting this blog I baked maybe three times a year. I'm also not a purist and am more than happy to use a mix as long as it doesn't have any weird ingredients. The cobbler mix from Calhoun Bend Mill is good; not as good as the berry cobbler from the Sue Ann's Apple Pan in Prescott - but that's another blog.

The package says peach, but you can use any canned, or fresh fruit. So far I think it's best with a can of Oregon Tart Cherries. In the past I used canned peaches and blackberries and it was way too sweet. It couldn't be easier to make, melt some butter in a 8x8 baking dish, combine the mix with the milk, pour it in the dish, and pour the fruit over it. On a sunny day the baking time in the Sun Oven is pretty much the same as a regular oven, but if you forget about it and leave it in longer - not that I'd ever do that - it won't burn or dry out.

Solar Baked Cobbler

When I saw the overcast sky this morning I thought I'd have a day off. I was planning on baking some bread and had even got up a little early to give the dough enough time to rise but it was so cloudy that I didn't even start it.

Amazingly by 11:30, pretty much the time the bread would have been ready to go in the Sun Oven, there were only a few scattered clouds. Now what was I going to do? Luckily I had a cobbler mix and a can of peaches.

The timing couldn't have been better. As soon as the cobbler was ready the sun disappeared again. We even got some rain. The cobbler was pretty good, a little on the sweet side, not sure if it was the fault of the mix or the canned peaches, next time I'll use fresh fruit.

Sun Oven Cobbler

While solar cooking will definitely reduce the amount of energy you consume that's not the only advantage. With today's record breaking temperatures - 113º - I can pretty much guarantee that very few people in Phoenix even considered turning on their conventional ovens. With a Sun Oven I can bake as much as I want. My house will stay cool and my baked goods will turn out just fine.
We're having friends over for dinner tomorrow and I wanted to get a head start with the food preparation. Hopefully, you will not be too disappointed to learn that this cobbler is made from a mix. I just followed the instructions on the package and for the fruit I used canned blackberries. I haven't tasted it yet but it smells delicious. The cooking time was pretty much the same as in a conventional oven - about 45 minutes.