I’m generally not great at sweets except when it’s something simple like strawberry shortcake. Luckily, simple doesn’t mean unimpressive. All you require to make these adorable, Instagram-worthy shortcakes are some ingredients from your pantry and the best season’s strawberries.

So skip the over-sugared candy-bar-stuffed-into-cake-topped-with-ice-cream-and-drizzled-with-chocolate-syrup type of over-the-top desserts that are all the rage right now, grab a pound of fresh strawberries, and make a strawberry shortcake recipe that is truly worth bragging about. Enjoy the beautiful strawberries doing their thing, and let them enjoy themselves as long as they’re around!

HOMEMADE SWEET BISCUITS

For the cake portion of these shortcakes, I made my own five-ingredient frozen biscuits recipe with a touch of sugar to make them more dessert-like and then made them a rustic, round shape. They were perfect for strawberry shortcakes because of their incredibly soft crumb that took in the syrup and was a pro.

This recipe made eight biscuits, and I believe the cream and strawberries can only be used for approximately six biscuits, so I would save the two extra biscuits for topping with jam and butter for breakfast. I’ll be sure to thank you later.

HOMEMADE VANILLA WHIPPED CREAM

As I had whipping cream heavy on hand to make the biscuits, it was time to make the whipped cream myself as well. If you’ve never made homemade whipping cream, try it. It’s simple and tastes much more delicious than the one you buy in the tub or bottle. It can be done by hand with the help of a whisk, or you can use the mixer to work your muscles. It’s all about three minutes.

INGREDIENTS

One lb. fresh strawberries ($2.99)

2 Tbsp sugar ($0.04)

Sweet Biscuits

2.5 cups all-purpose flour ($0.26)

One teaspoon salt ($0.05)

2 Tbsp sugar ($0.04)

4 tsp baking soda ($0.16)

2 cups of heavy-whipped cream ($1.85)

Vanilla Whipped Cream

1 cup of heavy whipping cream ($0.92)

2 Tbsp sugar ($0.04)

1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.28)

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash the strawberries thoroughly and cut off the leaves and stems by scooping them out using the help of a spoon. Slice the strawberries lengthwise in approximately four slices per. Put the strawberries that have been sliced into the bowl. Mix two tablespoons of sugar and place them in a bowl to rest. It will draw all the juice from the strawberries as they sit, creating a fantastic strawberry syrup. The strawberries are stirred frequently while they sleep.

Start to heat the oven to 400oF to bake the biscuits. Prepare a baking sheet using parchment paper. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a bowl until very well incorporated.

Mix the thick whipping cream into the bowl together with the flour. Stir until a dough sticky dough is formed and there is no dry flour at the bowl’s surface.

Clean your hands of flour. Then, break the dough into eight pieces and shape them into circles about 1/8 to 1 and a half inches thick. The biscuits that have been shaped should be placed on your baking pan. Bake in the oven for around 25 minutes or until slightly golden brown on their tops.

While the biscuits bake, make the vanilla whipping cream. Mix all the whipping cream heavy, sugar, and vanilla into an aluminum or glass bowl. Make sure to whisk vigorously, either by hand or with a mixer, until soft peaks form. Be cautious not to over-mix the cream, or it may break and fall apart.

Once the biscuits are cooked, let them rest until they cool enough to be handled. Cut the biscuits into half. Pour a little of the strawberry and syrup of strawberries out of the lower part of the bowl on the biscuit’s bottom. Then, top with a generous dollop of whipped topping, then the top portion of the cookie. Then, finish each stack by adding a second dollop of whipped cream, a couple of strawberries, and a drizzle of strawberry syrup.