Blueberry Strawberry Shortcakes with Biscuit Mix
Freshly whipped cream, juicy macerated berries and tender, still-warm-from-the-oven buttermilk biscuits are a superlative combination this time of year. These subtly sweet and simple Blueberry Strawberry Shortcakes come together in no time with a package of Southern style biscuit mix.
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 1.5 C Biscuit Mix preferably Loveless Café brand
- 6 tablespoon Buttermilk (¼ c + 2 Tbsp); or make your own using a ratio of 1 c milk to 1 tablespoon acid (lemon juice or white vinegar)
- 2 tablespoon Melted Butter for brushing pan and biscuit tops
- Flour for rolling
- Turbinado Sugar optional, for sprinkling tops; can sub granulated
Macerated Strawberries
- 1 C Strawberries sliced or quartered
- 1 C Blueberries fresh or frozen (defrosted)
- 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar or sub agave, honey, brown sugar or coconut sugar
Chantilly Whipped Cream
- ½ C Heavy Cream
- 1 tablespoon Powdered Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Make Biscuits
- Pour the buttermilk into a mixing bowl with the biscuit mix. NOTE: This method may not work with all biscuit mixes (it does with Bisquick). Be sure to read the instructions on the back of your box or bag to ensure the liquid ratio is correct.Using a normal spoon for eating, stir until you have a craggy dough. DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH. Lightly flour a clean working surface. Turn the biscuit dough out onto the floured surface. Sprinkle with a touch of flour, then gently fold and knead the dough *just* enough to keep it from sticking to you. Again, DON'T OVERWORK THE DOUGH.Using either a flour dusted rolling pin (useful if you are making a big batch) or the palm of your hand, roll or press the dough into roughly ½" thickness. Cut the dough into 4 even pieces. Place with edges touching in a greased or parchment lined baking tin or cookie sheet.Brush the tops of your biscuits with melted butter. For sweet applications like these strawberry shortcakes, you can also sprinkle them with a touch of sugar for a bit of flavor and sparkle.Bake at 450F for about 12-15 minutes, rotating the pan about halfway through. Remove from the oven when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.NOTE: Biscuits can be made in advance and frozen.1.5 C Biscuit Mix, 6 tablespoon Buttermilk, 2 tablespoon Melted Butter, Flour, Turbinado Sugar
Macerate Strawberries
- Wash and dry the berries. Remove the stem end (or hull them, if you want a prettier look), then slice or quarter.Sprinkle with sugar. If using, now's the time to add any additional flavorings like citrus zest, liqueur or extracts. (Read blog post for more flavoring ideas.)Stir to combine, then allow to rest for 10-25 minutes. Make sure to keep all the lovely juices that accumulate at the bottom! That syrup is like gold for your strawberry shortcakes.1 C Strawberries, 1 C Blueberries, 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
Whip Chantilly Cream
- Whisk or Mixer Method: Whip cream to soft peaks, then slowly add powdered sugar and extract while the mixer is beating, Taste and adjust sweetness to your liking, then continue whipping to firm peaks.Immersion Blender Method: Add chilled cream, powdered sugar and vanilla directly into a mason jar. Use immersion blender, moving the stick up and down to introduce maximum air. Whip until stiff peaks emerge, about 30-45 seconds.½ C Heavy Cream, 1 tablespoon Powdered Sugar, ¼ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Assemble
- Hamburger slice your biscuits in half. Bonus points if they are still a little warm. Spoon whipped cream, berries and syrupy juices onto the bottom biscuit half. Top with remaining biscuit. If you want to be fancy, feel free to garnish with mint or basil. (And if you want to be extra extra, a little balsamic reduction might be pretty delicious if you opt for basil.) Serve immediately.
Notes
- This recipe will make 4 large biscuits; you can also make 6 more medium-sized biscuits and save 2 for later.
- Picking Fresh Berries - With a dessert as simple as this, the quality of the ingredients makes all the difference. When you’re shopping, make sure your strawberries in particular are fragrant—if they don’t smell like anything, they won’t taste like much either. If not, go to the frozen section.
- Storing Fresh Berries - If you’re shopping ahead of time, note that berries are rather delicate creatures. I recommend soaking them in a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water for 10 minutes when you first get home from the store—the vinegar will kill any latent mold spores and help remove any pesticides more effectively. Rinse them well, then dry them using a clean kitchen towel. (The berries may stain your towel, so make sure it’s not one you want to hang.) Line the clamshell they came in with a clean paper towel, then replace the cleaned and dried berries to the container. This process should help them stay good for up to a week. Yay for less food waste!
- Biscuits Like To Touch - Make sure the biscuits are barely touching each other on the sides. This helps them achieve better lift, leaving you with fluffier biscuits!
- Easy Cleanup - Flouring a silicone sheet or any kind of cutting board will make cleanup much easier after rolling out your biscuits—you can just scrape it off over the compost or rinse it down the drain.
- Temperature Matters - Start with chilled equipment (e.g. metal bowl & beaters) and chilled ingredients for whipping cream. When cream is cold, the air that whipping introduces is held in place by solidified fat. Above about 50F, the fat in the cream will be too soft to do its job and your cream will collapse.
- Gentle Smash - Blueberries aren’t as good at macerating thanks to their thicker skin. Give them a gentle mash with the back of your spoon as you mix in the sugar to help them release their juices.
- Short-Cuts - Extra short on time and patience? Use refrigerated biscuits, brushing them with butter and giving them an optional sprinkling of sugar for the best, shortcake-iest results. A whipped cream dispenser makes it easy to have freshly whipped cream on hand without having to get out a mixer—just pour in the cream, add the flavoring, and twist on the charger!
- Macerated Berries: The process of macerating will happen quickly for thin-skinned strawberries, so I wouldn't recommend macerating them for longer than 12-24 hours. While you can technically keep the berries in the fridge for a day or two, they will continue to soften as they do. Keep any leftovers in an airtight container.
- Whipped Cream: Homemade whipped cream will only last a few hours in the fridge without losing its loft, even if you whip it to very firm peaks. The deterioration will become more pronounced over time. You can always revive the whip cream by re-whipping it.
- Make-Ahead Whipped Cream Options: If you want to make this ahead of time (e.g. for a dinner party) or prefer to pipe out the cream for a more embellished look, try making mascarpone-stabilized whip. If you don't wanna fuss about it, you can invest in an iSi whipped cream dispenser for perfectly stiff whipped cream at the touch of a button. (Just read this if you have kids before you buy one.)
- Biscuits are best warm from the oven, but you can make them ahead and freeze for up to a month, then defrost, slice and reheat in the oven at 200F.
Nutrition
Calories: 401kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 6gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 652mgPotassium: 244mgFiber: 2gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 660IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 139mgIron: 2mg
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