Blackberry Roll

We planted three tiny little blackberry bushes a few years ago. We didn’t bother with training them so now we have this crazy, messy, gigantic patch. The berries are really huge, and the vines are thornless. They won’t be ripe for another few weeks. Last summer during blackberry season, I got in the habit of making a basic muffin recipe nearly every morning and then running outside to pick a bowl full of berries to toss in the mix. They were really yum. I also try to make a blackberry roll at least once every blackberry season. The recipe is from Cooking from Quilt Country and it is really wonderful. It’s not too sweet and if you use freshly ground soft white wheat for the flour you can even call it healthy, right? I learned about this cookbook from my friend Summer, years ago. I could go on and on about how fabulous the recipes for baking and desserts are in this book (Amish apple pie, cracker jack, cinnamon rolls, apple cake with hot caramel sauce, blueberry cake, and lots more). It is my favorite cookbook when I want something sweet. It is out of print for some crazy reason, but there are plenty of used copies still available.

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the dry ingredients and then cut in the butter until you have fine crumbs. Blend in the cheese and then the milk, don’t overmix. Roll the dough out lightly into a 10 X 12 rectangle, about 1/3 inch thick. Sprinkle blackberries on top, then add 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and the nutmeg. Starting from the long edge, roll up dough like a jelly roll, and then place on a greased cookies sheet, seam side down. Pinch the ends and fold under. Pat and shape the roll and then sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown. Serve with cream.

And now a warning:
This will quite possibly make a big mess in your oven. To prevent this, place something to catch the drips under your pan, or bake in a pan with a decent lip. I made this one year at a relative’s house (I won’t say who) and it made a mess in the oven which resulted in a big fight. Seriously, it was a really bad day. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.