Book Club Blackberry Cobbler

⅔ cup cold vegetable shortening

2 cups self-rising flour

5 tablespoons cold water

2 (15 ounce) cans blackberries in syrup

¾ cup white sugar

⅓ cup self-rising flour

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Cut the shortening into 2 cups of self-rising flour in a bowl with a pastry cutter until the shortening forms small pieces the size of peas. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until the dough holds together and is workable. Divide the dough into 2 balls. On a well-floured surface, roll out a dough ball into a piece about 9 inches square and 1/4 inch thick. Lay the dough into the bottom of a 9x9-inch baking dish.

In the same bowl you used to mix the dough, pour the blackberries with their juice, 3/4 cup of sugar, and 1/3 cup of self-rising flour. Mix until the sugar has dissolved, and pour the filling over the crust. Roll out the remaining dough ball into a square about 9 inches square, and cut the dough into strips. Lay the strips over the filling. Cut the butter into thin slices, and lay the slices over the strips of dough. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of sugar.

Bake in the preheated oven until the top crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes.