mason jar love

Like just about everyone else I know, I love Mason jars! Check out my Mason jar Pinterest board to see just a few of the wonderful ideas clever people have come up with using these American icons. How about a little Wikipedia info on the beloved jars…

“A Mason jar is a glass jar used in canning to preserve food. It was invented and patented by John Landis Mason, a Philadelphia tinsmith in 1858. They are also called Ball jars, after Ball Corp., a popular and early manufacturer of the jars; fruit jars because they are often used to store fruit; “jam jars” or generically glass canning jars. While largely supplanted by other methods for commercial mass-production, they are still commonly used in home canning.”

I baked the cobblers for the clambake in wide-mouth (squat and fat) half-pint Kerr Mason jars and served homemade vanilla ice cream in regular-mouth (tall and thin) half-pint jars. Just as when using for canning, first sterilize the jars with boiling water – and when using for baking, place them in a water bath to prevent the jars from cracking.

Mason Jar Peach and Berry Cobbler

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup  plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, divided
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1 package frozen peaches, thawed and cut in half
1 package frozen mixed berries, thawed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (Sugar In The Raw)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and baking powder. Work the 1/4 cup of butter in with either your hands or two forks until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the milk into the well. Use a fork to mix in milk until smooth.

In a medium saucepan, stir together the brown sugar, cornstarch, and water. Mix in the peaches and blueberries. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Mix in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and lemon juice. Continue cooking until the butter melts.

Place 8 sterilized half-pint (8-ounce) wide-mouth Mason jars in a large roasting pan. Divided the peach-berry mixture evenly between the jars. Evenly spoon the cobbler batter in mounds over the hot fruit. In a small bowl, mix together the turbinado sugar and nutmeg, and sprinkle over the batter.

Pour hot water into the roasting pan, coming up about halfway up to the height of the jars. Carefully place the roasting pan in the preheated oven. Bake cobbler for about 45 minutes, or until bubbly and a toothpick inserted into the cobbler comes out clean.

Makes 8