Strawberry Shortcake

I was tasked with finding a dessert for the grill party this past weekend. I thought we might have something that would work in the recipes already posted, but it has been witheringly hot for the past several days and the vast majority of our posted desserts are, of course, chocolate. Which is great, but not when it’s 90° and humid. So I started searching for strawberry recipes and I found this. We gave it a whirl earlier in the week and were blown away, so we did it for the party, to great acclaim. I’ve made a couple of alterations (like drastically cutting the sugar content), so I’ll post my adjusted recipe here. It looks complicated, but it comes together quite easily.

Shortcakes
2 c (276 g) flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 T brown sugar packed
1/2 c (110 g) butter
2 t sugar
3/4 c (180 ml) milk

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment. With knife blade attachment on food processor, process flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, butter and 2 teaspoons granulated sugar until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour mixture into medium bowl. With wooden spoon or paddle attachment on electric mixer, add milk and mix just until it forms a smooth dough. Scoop dough onto cookie sheet in 6 equal mounds. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; transfer to wire rack and cool.

Filling
1 qt ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
3-4 T sugar
1/2 t vanilla extract

In a bowl, mash half of the sliced berries. Add sugar and vanilla and stir. Chill mashed berries and sliced berries separately for at least one hour.

Whipped Cream
1 c heavy whipping cream
3-4 T powdered sugar
1/4 c sugar
1/4 t vanilla extract
1/4 c sour cream

In a deep, chilled bowl, whip cream, sugars and vanilla with a whisk or hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add sour cream and whip until stiff peaks form. Serve immediately.