The Dessert Queen: Shortcake

... with strawberries on the inside.

I was trying to decide what dessert could be made for the 4th of July... there were the typical American Flag Cakes, jello, cupcakes, etc... but nothing that was quite fit for the queen. What about Strawberry Shortcake, my husband (the king) asks? Do Queen's eat shortcake? This queen loves cookies... how can one make shortcake cookies?

Martha knows, and now so do I...

Things I wish I knew before making this dessert:

* It takes more time to make than the typical cookie... there is a lot of preparing, especially cutting the strawberries into 1/4 inch slices.

* I understand why they want you to use parchment paper... because some of the cookies can really make a mess after they are cooked... but I found it annoying. I had to peel some of the paper off of the bottom of the cookies... and some of the paper was stuck to the cookies! These will make a mess of your cookie pans, but they can be cleaned. I won't be using parchment paper next time.

Ingredients

Makes about 3 dozen

• 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)

• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• 2/3 cup heavy cream

• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.

2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

All in all, this was a pretty yummy treat to make. I for one love strawberries, and any dessert that has strawberries baked right inside has to be fabulous. The hard thing is that they need to be eaten right away! Which may not be a problem since they are so good. I did read that you can freeze them, and they still taste pretty good after that. I think tonight I will try heating mine up and eating it with a little vanilla bean ice cream!