Banana Rum Cobbler

When I think about my perfect dessert, this hits so many of my ideals, it's almost unfair to compare it to anything else.

Then again, I am a huge sucker for bananas, a wild mix of textures, and rummy, caramel goo.

I've written before about my kind of cobbler (cherry, peach), which is basically a buckle. A buckle is so-called because it is essentially a cake that it is buckled with little gorges of bubbly, fruity goodness.

It is a somewhat similar look to the "cobbled" appearance of fruit bubbling up amidst a topping of rounded biscuits--or what I like to call the other type of cobbler.

Whatever you call it, this version takes an old standby out of its Southern-comfort zone and into the tropics with the addition of bananas and rum. Oh my!

Fair warning: Hoosband says this cobbler cannot be served without the requisite vanilla ice cream--something about cloying sweetness, blah, blah, blah. I, however, almost feel like the ice cream just gets in the way. Also, I may have literally licked the bowl. But that's just me.

Banana Rum Cobbler

6 T salted butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar, divided
1/4 cup spiced rum (I use Sailor Jerry's)
2 semi-ripe bananas, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt (coarse texture, like Morton)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk

Place the butter in a 9-inch glass pie dish or pan of comparable volume and let melt in the oven while it preheats to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Meanwhile, add 2/3 cup brown sugar and rum to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring with a heatproof spatula just to dissolve the sugar. Add the sliced bananas, bring to a gentle boil, and cook one minute, using the spatula to stir occasionally, just so the bananas get evenly coated. Set aside.

Remove the pie dish from the oven and gently tilt the dish and swirl the butter so it completely coats the bottom. Set aside.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to make a well in the center of the dry mixture, pour the milk into the well, and stir just until there are no visible dry patches. Mixture may be lumpy.

Scrape the batter into the dish, right over the melted butter, and do not stir.

Pour the banana mixture evenly over the top of the batter, and do not stir.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes or till golden, bubbly, and just set, rotating the dish halfway through. The cobbler should be cake-y on top, crunchy around the edges, and pocketed with tender bananas and gooey caramel-rum sauce.

Serve warm or room temperature with vanilla ice cream. Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days and microwaved for 20-30 seconds to reheat.

Thanks for reading. Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life!