Easy Strawberry Shortcakes for Two

 May 2025

Recipe from America's Test Kitchen, Season 25, Episode "Spring Dinner for Two"

I have not found an accompaniment for fresh strawberries that I was totally happy with. My mother would serve them with biscuits; I think she made them with Bisquik. So I was happy to try this recipe after seeing it on a recent ATK TV show. It was introduced as an update of an old ATK recipe which has been pared down for two people because the biscuits do not keep well, so it could be a good fit for the two of us.

We picked berries ourselves, mostly for jam but also to make this shortcake, so they were perfectly ripe and very fresh. Two cups of berries was divided: ¾ cup was mashed and the remainder sliced. The prepared berries were mixed with just 5 teaspoons of sugar and set aside.

For the biscuits, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt were combined using a food processor. Chilled butter was scattered over the flour mixture and pulsed to the consistency of coarse cornmeal. The flour mixture was transferred to a bowl. Half and half (which I made with a 2:1 mixture of milk to heavy cream) and an egg were whisked together then stirred into the flour mixture with a spatula forming a uniform, sticky dough. The dough was divided into two portions which were shaped into rounds about 2½-inches in diameter and an inch thick, painted with lightly beaten egg white, and sprinkled with sugar. These were baked in a 425° oven then allowed to cool for 15 minutes. Between starting and serving these took an hour to make.

These are delicious biscuits! They were tender, still slightly warm when served, with a sweet, crispy crust. I'd say that I've found my favorite recipe for biscuits to have with strawberries. The biscuits, though, were too large, the recipe could make half as many biscuits which would serve us well. They also take a fair amount of time. We usually have our dessert a few hours after dinner so having to spend that evening time in the kitchen is less than ideal.