These shortcake biscuits are simple, slightly sweetened, cream biscuits. Very easy to make, they are a perfect base for strawberry shortcake. They do a great job of soaking up the lovely strawberry juices yet manage to hold their shape.
You could top these biscuits with other berries or seasonal fruit, such as fried apples. Add whipped cream, ice cream, or drizzle with chocolate. The choices are really endless.
Shortcake Biscuits
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour, plus extra for rolling
- 2 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into ¼” cubes and chilled
- 1 cup cold, heavy cream (plus a bit more if needed to moisten the dough and to brush the top of the biscuits before baking)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375.
By hand or using a mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, use paddle attachment to cut and smash the butter into the flour mixture. Stop when the butter is in flakes the size of cornflakes. The flakes and resulting mixture will be irregular. Add 1 cup of the cream. Working quickly, stir it into the flour mixture. This will only take about 1 minute with the mixer. The dough will not be smooth and even. If you need to, use the extra cream to moisten any really dry spots, but don’t overwork the dough.
Lightly dust a clean work area with flour to roll out the dough. Place the dough on the work surface and gently pat it into a square. Lightly dust the top with flour and roll it out until it is 1” thick. Trim the edges of the square with a sharp knife if you want neat biscuits. Cut the square into 8 pieces, and brush the tops lightly with cream.
Place the cut biscuits on a baking sheet, spaced 2” apart. Bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack.
These biscuits are best served within an hour of baking.
