Best Ever Strawberry Shortcake

It’s strawberry season!

I love fresh local strawberries!  They are so much better than the giant ones from Mexico or wherever that are around the other ten to eleven months of the year.  For one thing, they’re not all moldy from spending who knows how long in transit across the country.

I remember when I saw my first box of berries in the store this year.  I was at work (I work in a grocery store) and not having the greatest day.  But when I saw those little red beauties on my way to get lunch, they brought a smile to my face and things seemed a little better.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always looked forward to berry season.  I used to help my mom pick berries at the U-pick.  And what did we do with those berries?  Well, I’d eat them for breakfast with cream… and sometimes for dessert after lunch and supper too.  Mom would make jam.  And she’d also make strawberry shortcake, with the best homemade shortcake biscuits.

I was a strange child.

For the longest time, even though I liked all the individual components of a strawberry shortcake, I wouldn’t eat the assembled shortcake.  I would eat the biscuit separately from my un-mashed berries with whipped cream.  For some reason, I was turned off by the whole mashed up berries thing.

I’m not sure when it happened, but I eventually came to my senses and started eating the real deal shortcake, assembled in all it’s splendor.

I will tell you this.  If you’re going to make strawberry shortcake, make sure you do it right.  You need to make it with these homemade biscuits.  This is the recipe my mom has been using for years.  I don’t know where the recipe came from originally, but I think it was from someone she knew.  Sorry I can’t give that person credit.

And might I add that I wore an actual apron while I made these.

Shortcake Biscuits

 

2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup milk

 

Preheat oven to 425º.

 

Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl.  Add shortening and use a fork to blend in.  Stir in milk.  It will be kind of goopy.

 

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 8-10 times.  It will pick up some of the flour and make a nice dough.  Pat into a 3/4 inch thick circle.  Cut into biscuit shape with a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter, or you can use a glass (that’s the way my mom always did it, so that’s how I do it).

 

Place about one inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

 

This made 10 biscuits for me.  I usually make a batch and then freeze them so I can thaw one out when needed.

 

Best Ever Strawberry Shortcake

 

Shortcake biscuits

Strawberries (I used about a cup of berries and had a little bit left over after making one shortcake)

Whipped cream (I use Dream Whip)

 

Wash and hull berries.  Mash to desired level of mushiness.

 

If biscuit isn’t fresh from the oven, warm slightly in microwave for about 20 seconds.  Split biscuit in half. 

 

Spoon berries onto bottom half of biscuit.  Top with the other half of the biscuit.  Spoon on a dollop of whipped cream.  Top with a drizzle of a few more berries.