I decided this weekend that I wanted to try to make my ideal cobbler. I love virtually any dessert that involves sticky, sweet-tart cooked fruit that you can top with whipped cream or ice cream, so in a sense, I'm not actually very discerning. At the same time I have this sense about cobblers that, in concept, they could be my favorite dessert of all time (fruit plus cream plus a buttery, crumbly, scone-y biscuit topping?! Sign me up!), but I rarely like them quite as much as I think I will. <br /> <br />So, I decided to try to make my perfect fruit and topping pairing. But then I couldn't decide what my perfect topping is. Tender and moist and cake-like? Airy and biscuity? Buttery and crumbly and shortbread like? They just all sound good. So, I tried to make something that was somehow tender, but still slightly crusty and crumbly, and decidedly buttery, and just a tad airy. Which is maybe a losing battle, but it sure tasted good anyway! <br /> <br />The topping is based off of Nigel Slater's topping because his beefs with cobbler seemed to be mine, so I thought his take would be a good place to start. And the filling, well, apricots are my husband's favorite fruit and so I always wind up baking lots of apricots in the summer, and I've become quite addicted to them myself. One of the best things I ever made was a galette with apricots and huckleberries, but we can't get huckleberries unless we're out visiting his parents in Eastern Washington, so I decided to replace them with blackberries, and I must say, it was practically just as good (but if you can get huckleberries, use them!)

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