How do you properly assemble a strawberry shortcake? That was the question of the hour when a group of us were enjoying these for dessert. Debate ensued. Shortcake, whipped cream, strawberries, shortcake? Shortcake, strawberries, whipped cream, shortcake? Shortcake, whipped cream, strawberries, more whipped cream, shortcake? Regardless of what order you layer your whipped cream and strawberries, these are delicious!

The shortcake biscuits were dense but not heavy, with a subtle sweetness that paired nicely with the strawberries and cream. They were easy to slice in half too, making them ideal barriers to sandwich the toppings between. I wanted something more exciting than regular strawberries and whipped cream and remembered my friend Maggie mentioning that she'd made strawberry shortcakes with amaretto...I decided to follow her direction. Ryan found the amaretto flavoring to be a bit much, and would've preferred a plainer version. Everyone else loved the addition of the amaretto. You can easily omit if you'd prefer, but if you're an amaretto fan, I highly recommend this version!

Strawberry Amaretto Shortcakes
shortcake recipe adapted from Let's Dish


Ingredients:
Shortcakes-
-1 cup whole wheat flour
-1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (can use all all-purpose flour if preferred)
-1/3 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
-1/3 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
-2 1/2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp salt
-1 cup milk

Strawberries-
-1 lb fresh strawberries
-1 tbsp sugar
-1 tbsp amaretto

Whipped Cream-
-1 cup heavy cream
-2 tbsp amaretto
-1 tbsp sugar

Directions:
1. To make shortcakes, preheat oven to 425F. Combine flour, butter, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until it resembles coarse meal. Add milk and pulse until just moistened (4-5 pulses).
2. Place shortcake dough on a floured surface. With floured hands, shape dough into a 5 x 9 inch rectangle, approximately 1 inch high. Using a large knife, cut dough into 8 equal squares. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp sugar. Bake until golden (15-20 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to cool (can make ahead of time and store in an air-tight container).
3. Hull and quarter strawberries and add to a medium-sized bowl. Toss with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp amaretto. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to one day.
4. Just before serving, beat heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar and amaretto and continue to beat until soft peaks return (do not overbeat).
5. Cut biscuits in half and layer as desired with strawberries and whipped cream.