Blackberry Dumplings

By Sonja Norwood | Published on March 25, 2026

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

  

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Blackberry Syrup

• 4 cups blackberries (600g), fresh or frozen
• 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
• 2 cups water (480 ml)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml
• zest of 1 lemon

Dumplings

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 g), plus more if needed
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 g)
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder (6g)
• ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (.5g)
• ¾ cup milk (180 ml)
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)

Directions

 

For the Blackberry Syrup

1. In a large saucepan, Dutch oven, or deep pot combine: blackberries, sugar, water, lemon zest and lemon juice.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Reduce heat to low and allow the berries to gently simmer while preparing the dumplings.

For the Dumpling Dough

1. In a large bowl whisk together: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together: milk, egg and vanilla.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. If the dough feels too wet, add a little more flour one tablespoon at a time until it holds together.

Cooking and Serving the Dumplings

1. Increase the heat under the blackberries to medium so the syrup is gently simmering.
2. Drop the dumpling dough into the berries using heaping tablespoonfuls, leaving space between each dumpling.
3. Cover the pot with a lid and do not stir.
4. Let the dumplings cook for 15 minutes. Important: Do not lift the lid during this time—the steam is what cooks and puffs the dumplings.
5. Remove the lid.
6. If desired, gently turn the dumplings so the tops get coated in the blackberry syrup.
7. Let the mixture simmer uncovered for 5 minutes to slightly thicken the syrup.
8. After simmering uncovered for about 5 minutes to thicken the syrup, you don’t need to separate anything. The dumplings should already be sitting in that rich syrup.
9. You can spoon everything directly into a bowl and then ladle extra syrup right over the top when serving. It’s meant to be saucy and cozy, almost like a one-pot dessert.

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About This Recipe

Blackberry dumplings are soft, tender dumplings simmered in a bright, sweet blackberry syrup. It’s a comforting old-fashioned dessert best served warm with plenty of syrup. Spoon the warm blackberry dumplings into bowls and ladle plenty of syrup over the top. Serve warm and best enjoyed fresh the day it’s made.

Watch Sonja talk about its history as she makes the recipe as part of her “Lost Black American Recipes” series.

Meet the Recipe Creator

Sonja is the digital creator behind Wick’d Confections. She is a self-taught decorative cookie baker who created the viral “Lost Black American Recipes” series, which draws the connections between food, history and community.

Read more about Sonja’s mission to revive lost recipes in our article, “Sonja Norwood Finds and Recreates Lost Black American Recipes in Digital Series.”