All About Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake may be a 200 year-old American invention. With the advent of chemical leavenings in the early 1800's, biscuits became popular. Since strawberries have always been readily available, it is likely that biscuits and strawberries have been together for quite some time. Before the middle of that century, strawberry shortcake recipes were showing up in the recipe books.

Today strawberry shortcakes are made from every recipe from biscuits to white cake and even angel food cakes but the original recipes always called for biscuits. Usually these biscuits are made richer with dairy products and sugar. This is an original biscuit-like shortcake. It is rich and tender and flaky and very, very good.

What follows are a strawberry shortcake recipe, a blueberry cream cheese shortcake recipe, and a chocolate caramel raspberry shortcake recipe.

Three Ways to Make Shortcakes

1. Make them as drop biscuits. The dough must be moist enough to drop from a spoon and pat into a flat disc. Add more milk as needed to get the desired consistency.

2. Make them as cut-out biscuits. The dough must be slightly firm to cut into shapes on the counter. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter or add flour to the dough if needed. Don't add so much flour that the dough is firm like sugar cookie dough. Pat the soft dough out on the counter and cut into three-inch discs. If the dough is wet and the shape is a little ragged, it's perfect.

3. Make one large shortcake. Spread the dough into an eight-inch cake pan or nine-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Hints

Always use fresh, succulent, ripe strawberries. Choose plump looking strawberries with green caps and avoid those that look bruised or mushy. Do not wash them or remove the caps until they are ready to use. Strawberries should be used promptly; they will not stay fresh long.

Original Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

2 pints ripe strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the strawberries:

Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar and toss to coat.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Caramel Raspberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

1 1/2 pints ripe raspberries

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Chocolate syrup

Caramel syrup

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into dough on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until done. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the raspberries:

Wash the raspberries. Garnish the dessert with the raspberries.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

1 1/2 pints ripe blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 eight-ounce package cream cheese

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the blueberries:

Wash the blueberries. In a small bowl, smash the berries, add the sugar, and stir. Cover the bowl and heat it in the microwave until the berries are hot and starting to bubble.

For the whipped cream:

Pour the whipped cream into a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest and beat until combined and fluffy.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with whipped filling. Top with additional whipped filling and berries.

See photos and the printable version of All About Shortcakes.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

All About Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake may be a 200 year-old American invention. With the advent of chemical leavenings in the early 1800's, biscuits became popular. Since strawberries have always been readily available, it is likely that biscuits and strawberries have been together for quite some time. Before the middle of that century, strawberry shortcake recipes were showing up in the recipe books.

Today strawberry shortcakes are made from every recipe from biscuits to white cake and even angel food cakes but the original recipes always called for biscuits. Usually these biscuits are made richer with dairy products and sugar. This is an original biscuit-like shortcake. It is rich and tender and flaky and very, very good.

What follows are a strawberry shortcake recipe, a blueberry cream cheese shortcake recipe, and a chocolate caramel raspberry shortcake recipe.

Three Ways to Make Shortcakes

1. Make them as drop biscuits. The dough must be moist enough to drop from a spoon and pat into a flat disc. Add more milk as needed to get the desired consistency.

2. Make them as cut-out biscuits. The dough must be slightly firm to cut into shapes on the counter. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter or add flour to the dough if needed. Don't add so much flour that the dough is firm like sugar cookie dough. Pat the soft dough out on the counter and cut into three-inch discs. If the dough is wet and the shape is a little ragged, it's perfect.

3. Make one large shortcake. Spread the dough into an eight-inch cake pan or nine-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Hints

Always use fresh, succulent, ripe strawberries. Choose plump looking strawberries with green caps and avoid those that look bruised or mushy. Do not wash them or remove the caps until they are ready to use. Strawberries should be used promptly; they will not stay fresh long.

Original Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

2 pints ripe strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the strawberries:

Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar and toss to coat.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Caramel Raspberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

1 1/2 pints ripe raspberries

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Chocolate syrup

Caramel syrup

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into dough on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until done. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the raspberries:

Wash the raspberries. Garnish the dessert with the raspberries.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

1 1/2 pints ripe blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 eight-ounce package cream cheese

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the blueberries:

Wash the blueberries. In a small bowl, smash the berries, add the sugar, and stir. Cover the bowl and heat it in the microwave until the berries are hot and starting to bubble.

For the whipped cream:

Pour the whipped cream into a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest and beat until combined and fluffy.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with whipped filling. Top with additional whipped filling and berries.

See photos and the printable version of All About Shortcakes.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

Favorite Desserts For A Diabetic Husband

It's easier than you think to create delicious desserts for your diabetic husband. When I had to get right down to it the ideas came flying at me out of my kitchen cupboard!

Here's a few of his favorites:

Easy Orange/Banana Parfait

1 pkge Lite Orange Jello (no sugar) 2 cups vanilla yogurt (fat free, no sugar but artificially sweetened) 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 tsp Splenda 1 banana 1/8 cup Lite cream cheese Makes 4 servings

Prepare the jello per the package directions. When it is partially set, slice and drop your banana pieces into the jello and mix gently so the banana pieces are covered by the jelly. Leave to set firm in the refrigerator.

Beat the remaining ingredients well together and set aside in the fridge.

Just before dinner put your dessert together. I use parfait glasses, they add to the fun and look of the dessert.

Drop a dollop of yogurt mixture into the bottom of each of 4 dishes and a scoop of the jello and then the yogurt mix again and so on to the top.

I have tried different flavors and different fruit, but, hubby likes the orange banana the best.

Faux Apple Crisp

3 large apples (jona golds are the best, in my opinion) Cinammon Sprouted wheat bread (I use Ezechial cinammon raisin from the health food store - 2 slices, they are small) 9" square casserole dish Makes 4 servings

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray your casserole dish with a non stick spray.

Peel, core, and slice your apples thinly into your baking dish. Sprinkle with cinammon (as much or as little as to your taste).

I take my bread from the freezer and grind it into crumbs in the blender. Now sprinkle evenly over your apples. Take a spoon and dish down here and there through the apples, so that some of the crumbs fall between the apples.

Bake uncovered in your oven 40 mins. or until your apples are cooked tender.

Cool and serve with flavored yogurt, artificially sweetened.

You can swap out the apples for blueberries, fresh or frozen. Just coat the berries first with 2 tsp flour.

It's not been as hard an adjustment as we thought it would be and we are both eating healthier than before, that has been a bonus for us both.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

Favorite Desserts For A Diabetic Husband

It's easier than you think to create delicious desserts for your diabetic husband. When I had to get right down to it the ideas came flying at me out of my kitchen cupboard!

Here's a few of his favorites:

Easy Orange/Banana Parfait

1 pkge Lite Orange Jello (no sugar) 2 cups vanilla yogurt (fat free, no sugar but artificially sweetened) 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 tsp Splenda 1 banana 1/8 cup Lite cream cheese Makes 4 servings

Prepare the jello per the package directions. When it is partially set, slice and drop your banana pieces into the jello and mix gently so the banana pieces are covered by the jelly. Leave to set firm in the refrigerator.

Beat the remaining ingredients well together and set aside in the fridge.

Just before dinner put your dessert together. I use parfait glasses, they add to the fun and look of the dessert.

Drop a dollop of yogurt mixture into the bottom of each of 4 dishes and a scoop of the jello and then the yogurt mix again and so on to the top.

I have tried different flavors and different fruit, but, hubby likes the orange banana the best.

Faux Apple Crisp

3 large apples (jona golds are the best, in my opinion) Cinammon Sprouted wheat bread (I use Ezechial cinammon raisin from the health food store - 2 slices, they are small) 9" square casserole dish Makes 4 servings

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray your casserole dish with a non stick spray.

Peel, core, and slice your apples thinly into your baking dish. Sprinkle with cinammon (as much or as little as to your taste).

I take my bread from the freezer and grind it into crumbs in the blender. Now sprinkle evenly over your apples. Take a spoon and dish down here and there through the apples, so that some of the crumbs fall between the apples.

Bake uncovered in your oven 40 mins. or until your apples are cooked tender.

Cool and serve with flavored yogurt, artificially sweetened.

You can swap out the apples for blueberries, fresh or frozen. Just coat the berries first with 2 tsp flour.

It's not been as hard an adjustment as we thought it would be and we are both eating healthier than before, that has been a bonus for us both.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

Favorite Desserts For A Diabetic Husband

It's easier than you think to create delicious desserts for your diabetic husband. When I had to get right down to it the ideas came flying at me out of my kitchen cupboard!

Here's a few of his favorites:

Easy Orange/Banana Parfait

1 pkge Lite Orange Jello (no sugar) 2 cups vanilla yogurt (fat free, no sugar but artificially sweetened) 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 tsp Splenda 1 banana 1/8 cup Lite cream cheese Makes 4 servings

Prepare the jello per the package directions. When it is partially set, slice and drop your banana pieces into the jello and mix gently so the banana pieces are covered by the jelly. Leave to set firm in the refrigerator.

Beat the remaining ingredients well together and set aside in the fridge.

Just before dinner put your dessert together. I use parfait glasses, they add to the fun and look of the dessert.

Drop a dollop of yogurt mixture into the bottom of each of 4 dishes and a scoop of the jello and then the yogurt mix again and so on to the top.

I have tried different flavors and different fruit, but, hubby likes the orange banana the best.

Faux Apple Crisp

3 large apples (jona golds are the best, in my opinion) Cinammon Sprouted wheat bread (I use Ezechial cinammon raisin from the health food store - 2 slices, they are small) 9" square casserole dish Makes 4 servings

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray your casserole dish with a non stick spray.

Peel, core, and slice your apples thinly into your baking dish. Sprinkle with cinammon (as much or as little as to your taste).

I take my bread from the freezer and grind it into crumbs in the blender. Now sprinkle evenly over your apples. Take a spoon and dish down here and there through the apples, so that some of the crumbs fall between the apples.

Bake uncovered in your oven 40 mins. or until your apples are cooked tender.

Cool and serve with flavored yogurt, artificially sweetened.

You can swap out the apples for blueberries, fresh or frozen. Just coat the berries first with 2 tsp flour.

It's not been as hard an adjustment as we thought it would be and we are both eating healthier than before, that has been a bonus for us both.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

All About Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake may be a 200 year-old American invention. With the advent of chemical leavenings in the early 1800's, biscuits became popular. Since strawberries have always been readily available, it is likely that biscuits and strawberries have been together for quite some time. Before the middle of that century, strawberry shortcake recipes were showing up in the recipe books.

Today strawberry shortcakes are made from every recipe from biscuits to white cake and even angel food cakes but the original recipes always called for biscuits. Usually these biscuits are made richer with dairy products and sugar. This is an original biscuit-like shortcake. It is rich and tender and flaky and very, very good.

What follows are a strawberry shortcake recipe, a blueberry cream cheese shortcake recipe, and a chocolate caramel raspberry shortcake recipe.

Three Ways to Make Shortcakes

1. Make them as drop biscuits. The dough must be moist enough to drop from a spoon and pat into a flat disc. Add more milk as needed to get the desired consistency.

2. Make them as cut-out biscuits. The dough must be slightly firm to cut into shapes on the counter. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter or add flour to the dough if needed. Don't add so much flour that the dough is firm like sugar cookie dough. Pat the soft dough out on the counter and cut into three-inch discs. If the dough is wet and the shape is a little ragged, it's perfect.

3. Make one large shortcake. Spread the dough into an eight-inch cake pan or nine-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Hints

Always use fresh, succulent, ripe strawberries. Choose plump looking strawberries with green caps and avoid those that look bruised or mushy. Do not wash them or remove the caps until they are ready to use. Strawberries should be used promptly; they will not stay fresh long.

Original Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

2 pints ripe strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the strawberries:

Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar and toss to coat.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Caramel Raspberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

1 1/2 pints ripe raspberries

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Chocolate syrup

Caramel syrup

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into dough on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until done. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the raspberries:

Wash the raspberries. Garnish the dessert with the raspberries.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

1 1/2 pints ripe blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 eight-ounce package cream cheese

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the blueberries:

Wash the blueberries. In a small bowl, smash the berries, add the sugar, and stir. Cover the bowl and heat it in the microwave until the berries are hot and starting to bubble.

For the whipped cream:

Pour the whipped cream into a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest and beat until combined and fluffy.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with whipped filling. Top with additional whipped filling and berries.

See photos and the printable version of All About Shortcakes.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

All About Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake may be a 200 year-old American invention. With the advent of chemical leavenings in the early 1800's, biscuits became popular. Since strawberries have always been readily available, it is likely that biscuits and strawberries have been together for quite some time. Before the middle of that century, strawberry shortcake recipes were showing up in the recipe books.

Today strawberry shortcakes are made from every recipe from biscuits to white cake and even angel food cakes but the original recipes always called for biscuits. Usually these biscuits are made richer with dairy products and sugar. This is an original biscuit-like shortcake. It is rich and tender and flaky and very, very good.

What follows are a strawberry shortcake recipe, a blueberry cream cheese shortcake recipe, and a chocolate caramel raspberry shortcake recipe.

Three Ways to Make Shortcakes

1. Make them as drop biscuits. The dough must be moist enough to drop from a spoon and pat into a flat disc. Add more milk as needed to get the desired consistency.

2. Make them as cut-out biscuits. The dough must be slightly firm to cut into shapes on the counter. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter or add flour to the dough if needed. Don't add so much flour that the dough is firm like sugar cookie dough. Pat the soft dough out on the counter and cut into three-inch discs. If the dough is wet and the shape is a little ragged, it's perfect.

3. Make one large shortcake. Spread the dough into an eight-inch cake pan or nine-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Hints

Always use fresh, succulent, ripe strawberries. Choose plump looking strawberries with green caps and avoid those that look bruised or mushy. Do not wash them or remove the caps until they are ready to use. Strawberries should be used promptly; they will not stay fresh long.

Original Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

2 pints ripe strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the strawberries:

Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar and toss to coat.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Caramel Raspberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

1 1/2 pints ripe raspberries

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Chocolate syrup

Caramel syrup

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into dough on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until done. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the raspberries:

Wash the raspberries. Garnish the dessert with the raspberries.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

1 1/2 pints ripe blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 eight-ounce package cream cheese

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the blueberries:

Wash the blueberries. In a small bowl, smash the berries, add the sugar, and stir. Cover the bowl and heat it in the microwave until the berries are hot and starting to bubble.

For the whipped cream:

Pour the whipped cream into a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest and beat until combined and fluffy.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with whipped filling. Top with additional whipped filling and berries.

See photos and the printable version of All About Shortcakes.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

Favorite Desserts For A Diabetic Husband

It's easier than you think to create delicious desserts for your diabetic husband. When I had to get right down to it the ideas came flying at me out of my kitchen cupboard!

Here's a few of his favorites:

Easy Orange/Banana Parfait

1 pkge Lite Orange Jello (no sugar) 2 cups vanilla yogurt (fat free, no sugar but artificially sweetened) 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 tsp Splenda 1 banana 1/8 cup Lite cream cheese Makes 4 servings

Prepare the jello per the package directions. When it is partially set, slice and drop your banana pieces into the jello and mix gently so the banana pieces are covered by the jelly. Leave to set firm in the refrigerator.

Beat the remaining ingredients well together and set aside in the fridge.

Just before dinner put your dessert together. I use parfait glasses, they add to the fun and look of the dessert.

Drop a dollop of yogurt mixture into the bottom of each of 4 dishes and a scoop of the jello and then the yogurt mix again and so on to the top.

I have tried different flavors and different fruit, but, hubby likes the orange banana the best.

Faux Apple Crisp

3 large apples (jona golds are the best, in my opinion) Cinammon Sprouted wheat bread (I use Ezechial cinammon raisin from the health food store - 2 slices, they are small) 9" square casserole dish Makes 4 servings

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray your casserole dish with a non stick spray.

Peel, core, and slice your apples thinly into your baking dish. Sprinkle with cinammon (as much or as little as to your taste).

I take my bread from the freezer and grind it into crumbs in the blender. Now sprinkle evenly over your apples. Take a spoon and dish down here and there through the apples, so that some of the crumbs fall between the apples.

Bake uncovered in your oven 40 mins. or until your apples are cooked tender.

Cool and serve with flavored yogurt, artificially sweetened.

You can swap out the apples for blueberries, fresh or frozen. Just coat the berries first with 2 tsp flour.

It's not been as hard an adjustment as we thought it would be and we are both eating healthier than before, that has been a bonus for us both.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

All About Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake may be a 200 year-old American invention. With the advent of chemical leavenings in the early 1800's, biscuits became popular. Since strawberries have always been readily available, it is likely that biscuits and strawberries have been together for quite some time. Before the middle of that century, strawberry shortcake recipes were showing up in the recipe books.

Today strawberry shortcakes are made from every recipe from biscuits to white cake and even angel food cakes but the original recipes always called for biscuits. Usually these biscuits are made richer with dairy products and sugar. This is an original biscuit-like shortcake. It is rich and tender and flaky and very, very good.

What follows are a strawberry shortcake recipe, a blueberry cream cheese shortcake recipe, and a chocolate caramel raspberry shortcake recipe.

Three Ways to Make Shortcakes

1. Make them as drop biscuits. The dough must be moist enough to drop from a spoon and pat into a flat disc. Add more milk as needed to get the desired consistency.

2. Make them as cut-out biscuits. The dough must be slightly firm to cut into shapes on the counter. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter or add flour to the dough if needed. Don't add so much flour that the dough is firm like sugar cookie dough. Pat the soft dough out on the counter and cut into three-inch discs. If the dough is wet and the shape is a little ragged, it's perfect.

3. Make one large shortcake. Spread the dough into an eight-inch cake pan or nine-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Hints

Always use fresh, succulent, ripe strawberries. Choose plump looking strawberries with green caps and avoid those that look bruised or mushy. Do not wash them or remove the caps until they are ready to use. Strawberries should be used promptly; they will not stay fresh long.

Original Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

2 pints ripe strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the strawberries:

Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar and toss to coat.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Caramel Raspberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

1 1/2 pints ripe raspberries

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Chocolate syrup

Caramel syrup

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into dough on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until done. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the raspberries:

Wash the raspberries. Garnish the dessert with the raspberries.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

1 1/2 pints ripe blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 eight-ounce package cream cheese

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the blueberries:

Wash the blueberries. In a small bowl, smash the berries, add the sugar, and stir. Cover the bowl and heat it in the microwave until the berries are hot and starting to bubble.

For the whipped cream:

Pour the whipped cream into a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest and beat until combined and fluffy.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with whipped filling. Top with additional whipped filling and berries.

See photos and the printable version of All About Shortcakes.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts

We're all looking for that perfect pie, or cookies, or loaf of bread. It doesn't always happen. In our experience, there are four reasons that account for most of the less than perfect products.

Under baking or over baking. This has to be nemesis number one. Breads are often under-baked and cookies are often over-baked. Under baked bread is soggy. Crusty breads will never be crusty if the temperature doesn't get high enough to drive the moisture from the dough. Over baked cookies are dry and hard. Try baking cookies until they just start to brown and see if you don't like them better.

Most soft breads should reach an internal temperature of 190 degrees and most crusty breads should reach a temperature of 200 to 210 degrees. A thermometer is the bread baker's best friend.

To reach internal temperatures such as these, crusts will often be a darker brown than what you often picture in the perfect bread. If you would like a golden crust on your bread instead of a rich brown crust, try draping the loaf with aluminum foil for the last six or eight minutes of baking. The aluminum foil deflects the heat and will protect the crust from becoming too dark.

Not letting it rise enough. And while we're talking of breads . . . if you like your bread light and fluffy, let it rise. The tendency is to stick it in the oven too soon. With a little practice, you'll soon learn to recognize bread that has risen to the maximum. It's soft to the touch-it even looks puffy. Ideally, you'll catch it a little before it starts to blister. (Remember, you will get a little oven spring, even in a hot oven.) If you wait too long and the bread starts to blister, all is not lost. Punch it down, reform the loaf, and let it rise again. (Sometimes, if a single blister shows up and you're in a hurry, you can puncture the blister with a sharp knife and stick the loaf in the oven.)

Improper mixing. We don't mix breads long enough; we mix biscuits, muffins, and pancakes too long. Mixing develops the gluten. It's the gluten that creates the elasticity and chewiness in bread. We want products leavened with baking powder or baking soda to be tender and flaky. Mix the dry ingredients to distribute them well and then combine the dry mixture with the wet ingredients until they are evenly mixed but no more. Leavened products that are over-mixed are tough and leathery.

Improper measurement. We suspect that more often than not, ingredients are not measured properly. In many good recipes, there is some margin for error but even in the good recipes, the product will be better if the ratio of ingredients is correct. Measure liquids in clear containers designed for liquids and at eye level. Use measuring cups that you trust to be correct. (We recently compared four brand name measuring cups. One was off by a full tablespoon in one cup.)

We always weigh flour when we bake. A packed cup of flour can easily weigh 20% more than one that is lightly filled. (Most recipes are based on lightly filled cups.) If you are just starting to convert your recipes from volumes to weights, start out with 4.5 ounces of flour for every cup. Stay with the same flour as much as possible for the same type of product. Different flours have different densities and different flours can act very differently in a recipe. If you weigh your flour and record your results, you can perfect that favorite recipe.

Now you know. These are the nemeses that cause the most problems in the kitchen. Knowing what they are--the common pitfalls of the kitchen--will arm you to be a better baker. As you perfect your craft in these four areas, you will turn out wonderful baked goods.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

Favorite Desserts For A Diabetic Husband

It's easier than you think to create delicious desserts for your diabetic husband. When I had to get right down to it the ideas came flying at me out of my kitchen cupboard!

Here's a few of his favorites:

Easy Orange/Banana Parfait

1 pkge Lite Orange Jello (no sugar) 2 cups vanilla yogurt (fat free, no sugar but artificially sweetened) 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 tsp Splenda 1 banana 1/8 cup Lite cream cheese Makes 4 servings

Prepare the jello per the package directions. When it is partially set, slice and drop your banana pieces into the jello and mix gently so the banana pieces are covered by the jelly. Leave to set firm in the refrigerator.

Beat the remaining ingredients well together and set aside in the fridge.

Just before dinner put your dessert together. I use parfait glasses, they add to the fun and look of the dessert.

Drop a dollop of yogurt mixture into the bottom of each of 4 dishes and a scoop of the jello and then the yogurt mix again and so on to the top.

I have tried different flavors and different fruit, but, hubby likes the orange banana the best.

Faux Apple Crisp

3 large apples (jona golds are the best, in my opinion) Cinammon Sprouted wheat bread (I use Ezechial cinammon raisin from the health food store - 2 slices, they are small) 9" square casserole dish Makes 4 servings

Preheat oven to 375F. Spray your casserole dish with a non stick spray.

Peel, core, and slice your apples thinly into your baking dish. Sprinkle with cinammon (as much or as little as to your taste).

I take my bread from the freezer and grind it into crumbs in the blender. Now sprinkle evenly over your apples. Take a spoon and dish down here and there through the apples, so that some of the crumbs fall between the apples.

Bake uncovered in your oven 40 mins. or until your apples are cooked tender.

Cool and serve with flavored yogurt, artificially sweetened.

You can swap out the apples for blueberries, fresh or frozen. Just coat the berries first with 2 tsp flour.

It's not been as hard an adjustment as we thought it would be and we are both eating healthier than before, that has been a bonus for us both.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

All About Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake may be a 200 year-old American invention. With the advent of chemical leavenings in the early 1800's, biscuits became popular. Since strawberries have always been readily available, it is likely that biscuits and strawberries have been together for quite some time. Before the middle of that century, strawberry shortcake recipes were showing up in the recipe books.

Today strawberry shortcakes are made from every recipe from biscuits to white cake and even angel food cakes but the original recipes always called for biscuits. Usually these biscuits are made richer with dairy products and sugar. This is an original biscuit-like shortcake. It is rich and tender and flaky and very, very good.

What follows are a strawberry shortcake recipe, a blueberry cream cheese shortcake recipe, and a chocolate caramel raspberry shortcake recipe.

Three Ways to Make Shortcakes

1. Make them as drop biscuits. The dough must be moist enough to drop from a spoon and pat into a flat disc. Add more milk as needed to get the desired consistency.

2. Make them as cut-out biscuits. The dough must be slightly firm to cut into shapes on the counter. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter or add flour to the dough if needed. Don't add so much flour that the dough is firm like sugar cookie dough. Pat the soft dough out on the counter and cut into three-inch discs. If the dough is wet and the shape is a little ragged, it's perfect.

3. Make one large shortcake. Spread the dough into an eight-inch cake pan or nine-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Hints

Always use fresh, succulent, ripe strawberries. Choose plump looking strawberries with green caps and avoid those that look bruised or mushy. Do not wash them or remove the caps until they are ready to use. Strawberries should be used promptly; they will not stay fresh long.

Original Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

2 pints ripe strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the strawberries:

Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar and toss to coat.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Caramel Raspberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

1 1/2 pints ripe raspberries

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Chocolate syrup

Caramel syrup

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into dough on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until done. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the raspberries:

Wash the raspberries. Garnish the dessert with the raspberries.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

1 1/2 pints ripe blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 eight-ounce package cream cheese

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the blueberries:

Wash the blueberries. In a small bowl, smash the berries, add the sugar, and stir. Cover the bowl and heat it in the microwave until the berries are hot and starting to bubble.

For the whipped cream:

Pour the whipped cream into a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest and beat until combined and fluffy.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with whipped filling. Top with additional whipped filling and berries.

See photos and the printable version of All About Shortcakes.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts   

All About Strawberry Shortcakes

Strawberry shortcake may be a 200 year-old American invention. With the advent of chemical leavenings in the early 1800's, biscuits became popular. Since strawberries have always been readily available, it is likely that biscuits and strawberries have been together for quite some time. Before the middle of that century, strawberry shortcake recipes were showing up in the recipe books.

Today strawberry shortcakes are made from every recipe from biscuits to white cake and even angel food cakes but the original recipes always called for biscuits. Usually these biscuits are made richer with dairy products and sugar. This is an original biscuit-like shortcake. It is rich and tender and flaky and very, very good.

What follows are a strawberry shortcake recipe, a blueberry cream cheese shortcake recipe, and a chocolate caramel raspberry shortcake recipe.

Three Ways to Make Shortcakes

1. Make them as drop biscuits. The dough must be moist enough to drop from a spoon and pat into a flat disc. Add more milk as needed to get the desired consistency.

2. Make them as cut-out biscuits. The dough must be slightly firm to cut into shapes on the counter. Sprinkle a little flour on the counter or add flour to the dough if needed. Don't add so much flour that the dough is firm like sugar cookie dough. Pat the soft dough out on the counter and cut into three-inch discs. If the dough is wet and the shape is a little ragged, it's perfect.

3. Make one large shortcake. Spread the dough into an eight-inch cake pan or nine-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Strawberry Hints

Always use fresh, succulent, ripe strawberries. Choose plump looking strawberries with green caps and avoid those that look bruised or mushy. Do not wash them or remove the caps until they are ready to use. Strawberries should be used promptly; they will not stay fresh long.

Original Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

2 pints ripe strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the strawberries:

Wash and slice the strawberries. Sprinkle the strawberries with sugar and toss to coat.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Caramel Raspberry Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing

2 tablespoons large crystal sugar such as turbinado sugar

1 1/2 pints ripe raspberries

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-4 tablespoons sugar

Chocolate syrup

Caramel syrup

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into dough on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon to make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until done. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the raspberries:

Wash the raspberries. Garnish the dessert with the raspberries.

For the whipped cream:

Combine the whipped cream, two tablespoons sugar, and the vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the additional sugar if desired.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with berries and whipped cream. Top with additional whipped cream and berries. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel syrup.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Shortcake Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (or more--see above)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter cut into chunks

1 large egg

3/4 cup cream (or more--see above)

1 tablespoon melted butter or cream for brushing

1 1/2 pints ripe blueberries

2 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 eight-ounce package cream cheese

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

For the shortcake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender.

3. Whisk the egg into the cream. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the cream mixture into the well. Mix with a fork until the ingredients just stick together. Drop into biscuits on a greased cookie sheet and then pat with the back of a spoon make to about 3/4-inch thick. To make cut-out biscuits, pat the dough into a sheet on a floured countertop and cut into three inch shapes with either a knife or a cookie cutter.

4. Brush the tops with the melted butter or cream. Sprinkle the tops with sugar. Bake for about fifteen minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while still fresh and warm.

Note: For the best results, always serve shortcake fresh. The dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to two hours while waiting to bake.

For the blueberries:

Wash the blueberries. In a small bowl, smash the berries, add the sugar, and stir. Cover the bowl and heat it in the microwave until the berries are hot and starting to bubble.

For the whipped cream:

Pour the whipped cream into a chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest and beat until combined and fluffy.

To serve:

Split the warm biscuits open. Fill with whipped filling. Top with additional whipped filling and berries.

See photos and the printable version of All About Shortcakes.

Baking Perfect Breads, Cookies, and Desserts