Strawberry Shortcakes

Filed under: RECIPES - Treats

I put my cooking skills to the test Mother’s Day weekend baking desserts for a Garden Party and Auction event. My day was going to be jammed packed with ferrying kids back and forth to school, volunteering at said school, setting up for the auction, shopping, and baking not only for the auction but a karate camp fundraiser. Ayeesh! Fortunately for me my daughter’s teacher did not need my help in the classroom and the babysitter cancelled changing my schedule from set up Friday night to clean up Saturday afternoon. I was able to finish most of my baking in the morning on Friday freeing me up to play a little Mindcraft with the kids. I even had some time to watch a friend’s daughter so she could take her son to the ER.

Part of my baking assignment was Strawberry Shortcakes. I was a bit concerned because biscuits are not my strong suit. The cheesecake recipe was easypeasy. So I threw all my focus into getting the biscuits just right. We made them small and thin because they were part of a sample dessert plate. To make the biscuits thicker do not roll the dough so thin and use a larger cutter. I found the size to be perfect though. With the custard, strawberries and whipped cream it was very rich and filling.

The trick is not over baking them the slightest. You do not want them to brown at all so remove them from the oven at the just barely done stage. Every oven varies. I found that mine were perfect at 10 minutes as opposed to the recommended 12 minutes. Baking the biscuits this way makes them wonderfully moist. In fact they will stay fresh for about 3 to 4 days. If they brown they will become stale and crumbly by the next day, or even hours later.

My kids were munching on them like they were cookies. I imagine you could top them with icing or frosting and call them a sugar cookie, just not as sweet.

Source: Turlock Nursery School
2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened but still cool
3 ounces cream cheese, softened but still cool
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter and cream cheese with a pastry cutter until mixture is crumbly. Mix in heavy cream with a fork until dough is moist. Use your hands to press the dough into a ball.

Roll dough out, on a floured surface, to a 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2-inch circular biscuit cutter. Place rounds on prepared cookie sheet- 4 rows by 4 columns. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Shortcakes should be pale in color but firm. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

To Serve:
Slice shortcakes in half through the middle. Place a dollop of custard on one half. Add a tablespoon of sliced strawberries. Top with other half of biscuit, a teaspoon whipped cream (optional) and a sliced strawberry.

To store:
Place biscuits in a zip-lock bag. Squeeze out excess air as much as possible. Store at room temperature.

Makes 17-20 biscuits

Technorati Tags: baking, biscuits, mother's day, picnic foods, shortcake, strawberry, summer, Valentine's day

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