Strawberry Shortcake

Last week, we went strawberry picking at Downey’s Farm and came home with far more strawberries than we could possibly eat. One of the many things I made with our abundance of strawberries, is the classic strawberry shortcake. Although called a shortcake, this is more of a sweet biscuit topped with lemon butter and filled with slightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

Strawberry Shortcake Biscuit RECIPE

Makes: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• zest of one lemon
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 Tbsp. cold or frozen real butter, grated
• 1/4 cup cold milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp. melted butter with the zest of half a lemon
• 2 cups of sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup sweetened whipped cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and baking powder. Add the butter and mix with fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Mix the milk and egg yolk. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Combine slowly until moistened.
4. Using a spoon or hands, portion out the dough into four parts.
5. Shape the dough into balls, flatten the top and line them on the parchment-lined tray.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes or until biscuits are golden on top. Once biscuits are done, brush the tops with the lemon butter.
7. To serve, cut in half with a bread knife and fill with whipped cream and strawberries.

NOTE:

• Cold butter results in fluffy biscuits.
• Avoid overmixing the batter as it causes biscuits to become dense.
• If dough seems to sticky, add a bit more flour.
• If dough is dry, add some milk.
• Recipe can easily be doubled.