We simply adore strawberry season! And what better way to celebrate than with a classic Southern-style shortcake filled with fresh, ripe organic strawberries and topped with a dollop of homemade whipped cream. Mmm!
Although most recipes call for some type of pound cake or angel food cake as the base – a proper shortcake is basically a big-ole, sweet biscuit. So to remain true to its namesake, I simply adapted my almond flour biscuit recipe to create a delightful Southern shortcake.
Southern-style Strawberry Shortcakes (GF)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup butter, melted (or coconut oil
)
- 1 tbsp pure honey (I prefer sage honey due to its mild flavor)
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 pounds of fresh, ripe organic strawberries (stems removed, sliced)
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
Step One: Bake Almond Flour Shortcake Biscuits
Step One: Prepare Strawberry Topping
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the almond flour, baking soda and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and honey until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, whisking together until well combined.
- Using a spoon, stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Place dough in frig to cool about 10 minutes. (While waiting, prepare the strawberry topping, and homemade whipped cream, if using.)
- Once dough is cool, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Scoop a large spoonful of the biscuit dough into your hands and shape it into a ball about the size of an apricot. Then, place each dough ball onto a baking sheet
lined with parchment paper
and use the palm of your hand to gently flatten to about one-inch thick. (The dough should yield 6 three-inch round biscuits.)
- Or ... you can roll out the dough (if you're wanting to make these cute Heart-Shaped Biscuits), by simply placing the cold dough on a sheet of parchment lightly dusted with almond flour. Shape dough into a square and lightly dust top with additional almond flour. Gently roll-out dough, keeping it at least an inch thick. Then cut desired shapes. Gather any scrapes of dough and repeat.
- Bake approximately 15 minutes, until top is golden brown. Allow biscuits to cool completely before splitting and filling.
- In a large bowl, combine sliced strawberries, maple syrup and vanilla. Place in frig while biscuits bake and cool. (Sweetened sliced strawberries become mushy if they marinate overnight, so it's best to prepare them about an hour or so before serving.)
- Once cool, split biscuits in half and top with a couple of heaping spoonfuls of strawberry topping and a dollop of homemade whipped cream. A delightful summertime treat!
Step One: Bake Almond Flour Shortcakes (a.k.a. sweet biscuits)
Step Two: Prepare Strawberry Topping
Step Three: Assemble Strawberry Shortcakes (and eat them! YUM!)
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Do you need to soak almond flour recipes overnight to make them more digestible? For some reason, I thought that was a step. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Charlene. If you are using blanched almond flour and not almond meal, then there is no need to soak first. The heaviest concentration of phytic acid is found in the skin of the almond. So with blanched almond flour, there is no need to soak, because the skins have been removed. Almond meal on the other hand is ground whole almonds (with skins intact) and I would soak that first. (Although I personally do not use almond meal.) If you are especially sensitive to phytic acid, then I would recommend healing your gut first through a diet such as GAPS and then proceed as this program suggests in slowly adding foods such as grain-free flours back into your diet as you progress in healing your GI tract. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Hi Kelly – is there a reason you don’t use almond meal? I haven’t done much w/ almond flour – just asking :-).
And can’t ground almonds w/o the skin also be called almond flour?
Thanks.
Hi, Adrienne. I don’t use almond meal because it tends to be very heavy and mealy in baked goods. I prefer a lighter, fluffier and less grainy tasting baked good which is why I use blanched almond flour. By removing the skin of the almond, it improves the performance, taste and texture of your baked goods. I recently discovered that there is also a pretty significant difference between Bob’s Red Mill brand (which I had been using for quite some time) and Honeyville Grains brand. I did a test kitchen post on the two with photos showing the results.
Here’s the link: http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/05/test-kitchen-showdown-battle-of-the-blanched-almond-flours/
And yes, some almond flour brands are not labeled “blanched” in the title, but are still made with blanched almonds. It’s important to check the ingredient label to see what you’re purchasing. Hope this helps explain why I prefer blanched. Blessings, sweet friend! Kelly 🙂
I was just thinking of making strawberry shortcake today, so I’m glad you posted this recipe. “Tis the season, right? Yum! Can’t wait!
So true! We’re busting at the seams here with strawberries, so I am breaking out all our favorite recipes and ways to use them. They are SO good when they are in season! 🙂
Michelle, I realized this morning that I didn’t have all of my Wednesday link-ups listed. Sorry about that – AFW as well as my other Wed link-ups are now noted. 🙂
Oh yum and double yum. I love strawberry shortcake but I love how you incorporate almond flour in your recipes. I’m so going to have to forward this to my mom who can’t eat things with other kinds of flours in them. Thanks for linking up to Titus 2 Tuesday on Cornerstone Confessions.
Kathy
Thanks for your sweet note, Kathy! I hope your mom enjoys this recipe. I’m happy to have found your fun link-up! Keep up the great work in encouraging women to grow in our calling as Titus 2 women! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Oh this looks awesome–I’m drooling now! Would you mind coming by my Creative @ Home Wednesday link up part and share it, I know my readers would enjoy it bunches!
http://susangodfrey.com/frilly-hair-scrunchy-pattern-creative-home-wednesday-link-up-party/
Blessings!
Susan
Hi, Susan! I just linked it up on your site and provided a link-back to your blog hop as well. Thanks so much! I hope you and your readers enjoy this recipe as much as we do! It’s certainly a favorite way to enjoy fresh summer strawberries! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
We have been eating the GAPS diet for about 4 months now. I was delighted to discover your recipe for these shortcakes. I was craving strawberry shortcake and didn’t have a clue about how to make it with almond flour. Thank you for posting this…and my kids thank you too! http://www.Tips4Mom.com
Wonderful! So glad to be able to curb your craving with this delicious, healthy GF version! Thanks, Ashley, for taking time to leave a note! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Good Morning, Kelly! We finally tried this recipe for breakfast 🙂 this past weekend….sort of. I made it dairy & egg-free, and I didn’t have any almond flour, but rather almond meal. You can read my post to see how I adapted it. They were so amazing! Better than the “real” thing. Thanks!
Michelle
http://willingcook.com/recipe-strawberry-shortcake-biscuits/
Thanks so much, Michelle! You really created a wonderful original recipe of your own here, but I truly appreciate you citing me as giving you the inspiration. It’s so fun to inspire one another to create healthier, delicious REAL food! Blessings to you, sweet friend! 🙂 Kelly
You certainly gave me the inspiration and the skeleton for a great recipe. Thanks!
Blessings to you,
Michelle
All I can say about this is yum, yum! It looks scrumptious!! I hope that you will get a chance to share this recipe in our recipe hop @ http://allergiesandceliac.blogspot.com/2012/06/made-from-scratch-monday-week-20.html#axzz1xcsKYqSG Hope to see you there!
Thanks, Mary! I posted my Cherry Caprese this week at Made from Scratch Monday. However, since you like this one so much, I added it too! Thanks so much for your kindness! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
This looks wonderful. The biscuits in particular look great, and I love that they are made with almond flour. I think I will try making them for a friend who is on the SC diet. Thanks for sharing this for June’s strawberry theme at Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
Thank you so much, Linda! I really enjoy participating in Gluten-Free Wednesdays! Thanks so much for hosting this wonderful blog hop and for your kind words and shout out! What a blessing you are! 🙂 Kelly
Great recipe! This looks like a great way to end a meal or even to start the weekend on a Saturday morning! Strawberries are juicy, sweet and so healthy – we love how you’ve used them!
Hi, Melaina! Yes, this would make a wonderful breakfast with a side of scrambled eggs! Yum! 🙂
Thanks for this recipe, I love it and my family too. I have done it a couple of times and always taste soooooo gooooood!!!!
Terrific to hear, Eneyra! Thanks for your kind words! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
This was great! I served it to guests and they really enjoyed it too!
So glad you and your guests enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a kind note! 🙂
These were amazing!! Thank you for a healthy/gluten free alternative! I made with cashew cream and I only had almond meal not blanched almond flour and they still turned out wonderful!
Thanks for taking the time to leave a kind note, Danielle! Wonderful to hear these were great with almond meal too! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Do you recommend eating blanched almonds vs raw almonds? Also, would it be the same if I made my own blanched almond flour by taking off the skins of the almonds & grinding them up? Thanks!
Hi, Christy. The very best way to eat almonds from the standpoint of the most phytic acid reduction and most nutrients would be to purchase truly raw almonds, soak them overnight, remove their skins and dehydrate them (slow dry them) at a low temp (under 118 degrees).
However, many real foodies do consume blanched almond flour, which does have a significant portion of the phytic acid removed due to the skin being removed. This is what I opt to do as well, since time is an issue and I can’t do everything I’d like to do and still achieve balance. So there’s lots of things I prefer to make rather than almond flour, but this is a personal decision and that’s not to say it can’t or shouldn’t be done. 🙂
So, yes, making your own almond flour is a great option and many people do it by purchasing either blanched almonds in bulk, or using the steps mentioned above to remove the skins themselves. Depending on your grinding device, it can hard to achieve as fine of a grind and you have to be careful because there is a fine-line between almond flour and almond butter 🙂 But many people do make their own and depending on the cost of bulk almonds in your area, can often save money as well.
Can you use regular flour if you don’t have almond flour? BTW, love your meal plans! My family has been enjoying all the recipes!
Hi, Pamela. Blanched almond flour behaves very differently than GF flours, so it’s not possible to do a substitution without tweaking the whole recipe. So I would recommend finding a good whole grain recipe, such as my friend Jill’s yummy soaked grain biscuit recipe (link below). Or you can of course google search for a good shortcake biscuit recipe using the flour of your choice. Thanks so much for your kind words. So glad you and your family are enjoying these recipes. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Jill’s recipe: http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/02/soaked-buttermilk-biscuits.html
Made these for July 4th and we all LOVED them!! My mom made a not very healthy white flour shortcake too, and people said this tasted so similar and was just as good as the regular shortcake!! Yay!! Tonight I am making it in cake form and will slice in thinly horizontally and fill with strawberries and whipped cultured cream for my daughters 4th bday! Yum!
What a great idea, Lauren! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a kind note. I’m so happy this was a hit with your family. It’s always such a blessing when we can show people how delicious healthy real food can be! 🙂 Blessings, Kelly
Mine were crumbly and dry. What went wrong?
Hi, Jane. Did you use blanched almond flour? Did you make any substitutions? It’s hard to know why. We make these biscuits frequently for breakfast and they turn out just as lovely as in the photos. Without more info, it’s hard for me to dx the problem.
Thanks for posting these. We made them last week and really liked them. They were slightly heavy. Could I add more soda? I used my large scoop from pampered chef and got ten biscuits that were a very nice size. I just patted them down a little. We sliced them and toasted them to reduce the moisture inside.
Hi, Jocelyn. ALmond flour is definitely a different texture, but if you’re using blanched almond flour (not almond meal with the skins included) these should be fairly light. And yes, you may want to check your baking soda to see if it’s still active since this can be an issue. Or another trick I learned from a baker is, using half baking soda half baking powder can help get a better rise. As far as the moisture, the flatter they are the more they will cook through. That’s why I use my hands to shape them into biscuits as shown in the photos. I find this is the easiest way to ensure even baking. Hope this helps. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Are these freezable? My daughters want strawberry shortcake for their birthday party. There will be a large number of people here and so I think I need to start making them and freezing them ahead of time. Have you ever frozen them before? Would I need to rewarm them the morning of the party or just let them thaw etc… Thanks for any insight you can give. The recipe looks great!
Yes, you can freeze, but they aren’t as light and fluffy once frozen and can be a bit moist due to thawing. I would recommend making them 1-2 days ahead of time and refrigerating instead. Then you can gently warm then in the oven at 200 degrees until warmed through (usually about 8 minutes). Have a wonderful celebration! Happy birthday to your daughter! 🙂
Thank you Kelly for your help! I really appreciate it!
My pleasure! 🙂