Quick & Easy Southern Strawberry Shortcake

Who doesn't love strawberry shortcake? There are so many variations on this dessert, and each holds a special place in my heart. My favorite part about this recipe is not only how easy it is, but that I had most of the ingredients already. There are three components to this dessert: the biscuit, the strawberries, and the whipped cream.

For the biscuit, I used store bought biscuit mix. Work smarter, not harder, right? I essentially followed the directions on the back of the box, with the addition of 1/4 of sugar. *Tip: make sure your butter is super cold. This will ensure optimal flakiness!

The pint of strawberries are sliced and placed in a bowl with 1/2 cup of sugar. These are best if done a few hours ahead of time, but the process can be sped up by constant stirring. You want them to be nice and juicy.

Now for the fresh whipped cream. I always make sure that I have put the bowl I plan on using in the freezer ahead of time. I also like to make sure my cream is as cold as possible. This will help with the whipping process. It may take some time, but be patient, it is worth the wait! Keep beating until you have soft peaks, add 2 tablespoons of sugar, and continuing beating until you have nice firm peaks.

Now that all three components are ready to go, it is time to assemble! I like to slice the biscuit in half and layer each ingredient. Nothing says summertime quite like strawberry shortcake!

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Slice 1 pint of strawberries and place in bowl with 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir well and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

3. Mix with fork, the biscuit mix, chilled and cubed butter, sugar, and milk. Once thoroughly combined, portion the dough into even dollops on a oil or lined baking sheet. I prefer the rustic look that is achieve from dolloping the dough, but you can definitely roll the dough and use a biscuit cutter if you would like. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

4. Using an electric mixer, beat the heavy whipping cream in the chilled bowl. Once soft peaks develop, add the sugar and continue beating until firm peaks form.

5. Assemble each strawberry shortcake. This can be done by slicing the biscuit in half, placing bottom half of biscuit on plate, top with spoonful of marinated strawberries, spoonful of whipped cream, biscuit top, strawberries, and more whipped cream.