Strawberry Shortcakes for Two

When hubby mows the grass, I always feel sorry for him. Mowing is itchy and noisy, and it reeks of petroleum fumes and physical labor. And hubby hates physical labor. Pity. So it goes that in my world, pity and many other emotions are expressed to others in the form of food. Here is a quick dessert you can whip up in about the time it takes to mow an average lawn with an average push mower. 

Introducing "Strawberry Shortcakes for Two", courtesy of Small Batch Baking, by Debby Maugans Nakos. Ms. Nakos' book is SUPERB, full of fancy-pants dessert recipes for little families like mine!

Shortcakes:

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt 

Filling:

1 cup sliced strawberries

1 tsp sugar

Whipped cream 

Combine cream and vanilla in a small bowl. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. While gently stirring flour mixture, gradually add the cream mixture; mix until the dough barely holds together. Using floured hands, divide dough in half and form each half into a ball. Place balls of dough onto preapred baking sheet, spacing them two inches apart.  Bake 28 minutes.

My additions: egg wash after 10 minutes of bake time + raw sugar sprinkle!  

Allow to cool completely before filling with strawberries and whipped cream. Jeremy's instructions to me: "Not too many strawberries. I can't handle the texture." Sigh...I guess they are just too close to a vegetable with all those seeds...

Et voila!