Lemon Buttermilk Shortcakes with Berries

I did make Josh a special dessert to celebrate, Lemon Buttermilk Shortcakes with Berries. I found this recipe a few weeks ago on Former Chef and knew I had to save it for a special occasion.

I cut the shortcakes in half and piled them with berries. We skipped the traditional whipped cream since we aren't huge fans. I think the fresh berries were sweet enough on their own, but Josh added a little vanilla ice cream. This is a perfect dessert for summer!

Lemon Buttermilk Shortcakes with Berries Adapted from Former Chef

(Printable Recipe)

2 cups flour 1 Tbsp Baking Powder ½ tsp. Baking Soda 2 ½ Tbsp. Sugar ½ tsp. salt 5 Tbsp. Cold Butter, cut into small pieces ¾ cup Buttermilk Zest of one lemon 2 tsp Lemon juice Milk, cream, or Half and Half-for brushing on shortcakes Turbinado sugar

Strawberries Blueberries Agave Nectar Extra lemon juice/zest

Prepare the berries. Cut strawberries and stir in blueberries. Drizzle berries with agave nectar, a splash of lemon juice, and a bit of lemon zest. Stir and let sit in the fridge for about an hour so the berries get juicy.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Sift together dry ingredients into a large bowl. Mix in the lemon zest with a whisk.

Cut in the cold butter until it resembles dry oatmeal. Use a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands. Pour in the buttermilk and lemon juice and mix with a spoon just until the dough starts to come together. Don't over mix the dough. If it is really dry, add more buttermilk, but just a little bit. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead into a ball. Do this quickly and don't over knead.

Roll out the dough to about ¾ inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter, glass or cookie cutter. You can form the scraps into a ball and roll out again. The recipe made 7 biscuits for me.

Brush the tops of the biscuits with milk, cream, or half and half and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Serve with berries. You can add whipped cream or ice cream if you wish!