Somehow I always end up back home for strawberry season, which is just fine by me. Pennsylvania and New York growing seasons barely overlap, so usually PA is winding down and I have the holy-crap-it’s-already-over-moment, NY berries are just starting up.
With fresh strawberries, I am of the opinion that less is more. Generally I just eat them plain, or make some kind of shortcake because seasonal berries are amazing as is. If I have ripe or end of the season berries to use up, I try to use them in recipes where they’re intermixed, but not the main base, and bake down and get super concentrated. Strawberry crisps or cobblers are not my thing, but these strawberry and cream biscuits (or scones if you will) are perfect.
Strawberry and Cream Biscuits
Recipe adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen Makes 16-20 Cut strawberries into about 3/8″ dice, halving very small berries, quartering medium, and then dicing large berries. 2 1/4 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking powder
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, cold
1 cup (about 130 grams) chopped very ripe strawberries
1 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In the bottom of a large bowl whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles a crumbly meal with small pea-sized bits of cold butter butter. Gently toss in strawberries, just to lightly coat in the dry ingredients. Stir in heavy cream gently, just to moisten the dry ingredients but not over work the dough. Knead once or twice in the bowl, to form a somewhat shaggy, but cohesive mass. The dough won’t be perfectly even – the key here is be gentle!
Generously flour your counter or work surface. Transfer dough to the counter, generously flour the top and flatten with your hands or a rolling pin. Gently roll or press the dough out to a 3/4 to 1-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2-inch circles with a floured biscuit cutter, pressing straight down and not twisting as you cut. Carefully transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, spacing at least two inches apart. If you’re so inclined, sprinkle with a little sugar to finish them off.
You can re-roll the scraps of dough; things will get a bit messy but they will still be perfectly tasty.
Bake the scones for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden and the juices start to bubble a bit and thicken. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Leftover biscuits can be stored for a day or two – I recommend placing in a parchment or paper bag so they don’t become soggy.
Leave a Reply