If the berries are fresh, rinse them and place in bowl. If frozen, keep frozen and place in bowl.
Pour the ½ cup sugar over the berries then carefully stir them till the sugar is coating the berries. Set aside.
Place the 4 Tbsp of butter in a 9x13 baking dish. (or a smaller dish for a deeper cobbler) Put the dish with the butter into a cold oven. Turn the oven on to preheat to 375°.
While the oven and dish are preheating, mix up the batter. In a medium sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a whisk. Slowly add the milk while whisking to combine with no dry lumps.
Carefully remove the dish from the oven. Remember as you finish up, that this dish is HOT. Slowly tilt the dish around in a circle to coat the bottom of the dish with the butter.
Pour the batter on top of the butter, then spoon the berries evenly over the top of the batter. Use hot pads to place the dish back in the oven. Bake 45-50 minutes. If the berries are frozen, it may need to bake a bit longer.
When it is mostly golden brown on top and does not move like liquid when you do a "jiggle test" then it is done. Serve warm with ice cream.