Grandma S' Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry season may be winding down, but I still have a bunch of the delicious, ripe, red berries to use up before they go bad. I’ll definitely be making some of my favorite strawberry freezer jam (although it never quite makes it into the freezer, and is equally delicious over vanilla ice cream as it is on toast or in PB&Js. However, we’ve been enjoying our bounty mostly in the form of strawberry shortcakes, using my grandma’s awesome recipe for biscuit-like cakes. We crumble the cakes into the bowl, top with macerated strawberries (with or without the liqueur) and a dollop of brown sugar-sweetened whipped cream. It really doesn’t get much better than this, I promise.

Grandma S’ Strawberry Shortcake

2 c. all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt (optional – I like it without, Aaron likes it with; maybe a ½ tsp. would be a good compromise)

1/3 c. vegetable shortening (I like butter-flavored Crisco(TM))

1 c. milk

Butter

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in shortening until the mixture is lumpy (about pea-sized lumps). Add milk and stir until just mixed – do not over-mix. Drop by approximately quarter cup-sized portions onto a creased cookie sheet. Dot with butter. Bake at 450 degrees (F) for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Crumble a cake into a serving dish; top with macerated strawberries and whipped cream.