If you are not from North Carolina, call them cobblers..

Two new recipes added  just in time for Christmas, both what most would call a “cobbler”. That is unless you are from certain areas in North Carolina where the locals know the proper name is a “sonker”. When in North Carolina, a sonker can be recognized by the additional scoops of vanilla ice cream that are (sometimes) place on top before serving.

The first recipe, a traditional Blueberry Sonker, was submitted by an anonymous lover of North Carolina blueberries. It is a traditional baked deep dish dessert, sweetened by added sugar.  The second recipe is another contribution from the officially unofficial experimental kitchen (the OOEK), of the North Carolina Blueberry Council, Inc. (aka the webmaster) The latter is a very low sugar, simple-to-make, Blueberry Apple Sonker. Low sugar in this case reflects the only added sweetener is two tablespoons of honey, no artificial sweeteners.

In this increasingly health-conscious world, we seek blueberry recipes that maximize the health qualities without removing all the fun out of eating blueberries. In the case of the Blueberry Apple Sonker, the idea was to let the natural sugars rule the recipe and let any tartness be contrasted by a quality vanilla ice cream. If the reviews from Thanksgiving where this was tested are any indication, ice cream is optional! Not only was the Blueberry Apple Sonker wiped out, but few added ice cream!