Potluck Christmas Parties, Cherry Cobbler

Remember I said last time that the corollary to check every label, every time, is if there is no label, you can't eat it? Nothing has a label at a potluck. Eventually you get used to not being able to partake of much at these parties. I went to one this week, and, besides a piece of the appetiser cheesecake I had brought, I ate raw vegetables. Nothing was labeled; they had even thrown out the bags to the chips. But I knew this would probably be the case, and had eaten a ham sandwich before I went.

I have another potluck this week. I will bring my own lunch again, and my contribution will be cherry cobbler from my mom's recipe. It's really more of a cherry square, but are ya gonna argue with my mom?

Cherry Cobbler

3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (extra flour is for kneading)
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 lb cold butter (2 sticks)
2 eggs
2 cans cherry pie filling * [see note added below]

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).
2.) Stir together 3 cups of flour, the baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients like you are making pie dough. Stir in the eggs. Reserve 3/4 cup of these crumbs for the topping.
3.) Knead the rest of the mixture well, using as much of the rest of the flour as you need. Spread into an 11"x15" jellyroll pan. Pat down. Pour the 2 cans of cherry pie filling over the dough, and spread evenly. Sprinkle with topping.
4.) Bake at 400 degrees (F) for 15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 325 degrees (F) and bake for an additional 45 minutes.

My variation: Replace up to 1 cup of the flour with ground almonds, and add 1/2 tsp almond extract to the dough.

I like the variation better, but it makes my brother complain, "Yeah, it's good, but it doesn't taste like mom's."

* note added 31 May 09: I made this yesterday for an office picnic, and I had to use 2 cans of cherry pie filling plus a third can with just the cherried (rinsed off the "goop" using a strainer). They seem to be putting fewer and fewer cherries in the pie filling.