Don’t you just love strawberry season?  I’ve already made about 3 dozen jars of homemade strawberry jam using several different methods. But my favorite way to enjoy strawberries is sliced atop warm scones, crisp on the outside and light and buttery on the inside.  Top scones with lightly sweetened whipped cream and more strawberries.

This is the perfect summertime dessert. You can make the scones up ahead and just slice the strawberries an hour before dinner and let them macerate with a little sugar to bring out their juices.  Make some fresh whipped cream and you’re good to go!  This foolproof recipe comes from the wonderful Joy of Baking site.

Knead dough gently 4 or 5 times then pat dough into a circle about 7 inches round and 1 inch thick. With a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place scones on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 -20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean. Cool scones on a wire rack

Sometimes, I make Strawberry Shortcake Sundaes with ice cream instead of whipped cream.  Yum! For another delicious shortcake recipe that’s GLUTEN FREE try Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes!

Individual Strawberry Shortcakes

Makes about 8 scones

Scones

• 2 cups all purpose, unbleached flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup cold, unsalted organic butter
• 1 large organic egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup light whipping cream or half and half

Egg wash

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon cream (or half and half)

Filling

• 2 pounds fresh organic strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup granulated sugar, to taste

Topping

• 1 cup organic heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

Individual Strawberry Shortcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.  Whisk together the egg, cream and vanilla extract and add to the flour mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.
3. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently 4 or 5 times then pat dough into a circle about 7 inches round and 1 inch thick.
4. With a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place scones on baking sheet.
5. Make an egg wash with the beaten egg and tablespoon of cream and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.
6. Bake for about 15 -20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack.
7. Wash and slice the strawberries. Place about one third of the strawberries in a large bowl and crush them with a potato masher or fork. Add the remaining sliced strawberries, along with the sugar. (The amount of sugar used will depend on how sweet the berries are.) Set aside to macerate at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes.
8. In a large mixing bowl, place the whipping cream, vanilla extract and sugar and stir to combine.  Cover and chill the bowl and beaters in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. When chilled, beat the mixture until stiff peaks form. The whipped cream will hold for several hours in the refrigerator.
9. To serve: Cut the scones in half and place the bottom half of the scone (soft side up) on a dessert plate. Top with some of the strawberries and whipped cream. Place the top half of the scone on the strawberries, top with the whipped cream and a few more strawberries. If there is any juice from the strawberries, drizzle over the top of the scone. Serve immediately.
10. Serves 8.

Kate’s Tips

• For the scones, make sure the butter is cold, add the liquid to the dry ingredients all at once, and mix everything together quickly and lightly.
• You can make the scones the day before and reheat them if you want them warm.
• Look for strawberries that are red all the way to the top.  I always smell strawberries before I buy them. No smell means no flavor.
• If not using strawberries immediately, store on a paper towel lined tray in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
• Make sure you use heavy cream as it will double in volume when you whip it.
• Mixing the ingredients together and refrigerating before you whip it will insure that your whipped cream won’t deflate.