Buttermilk Shortcakes with Macerated Berries

This is the part of our 2024 project: The Alphabet Challenge. Hosted by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, I thought this would be a fun culinary adventure. We will be posting every two weeks. I hope you follow along...or join in as you can. This should be fun.

S is for...

• Air Fryer Sausage Balls by Blogghetti

• Buttermilk Shortcakes with Macerated Berries by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Cheesy Sausage and Egg Casserole by Food Lust People Love

• Cold Sesame Noodles by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

• Schezwan Sauce by Mayuri’s Jikoni

• Shami Kebabs by Sneha’s Recipe

• Southern Style BBQ Shrimp by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Spanakoparatha by Magical Ingredients

• Strawberry Mint Spritzers by A Messy Kitchen

• Summer Squash Salad by Jolene’s Recipe Journal

• Sweet Whiskey Skillet Teriyaki Chicken by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

Buttermilk Shortcakes

• 3-1/2 cups flour

• 1 Tablespoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 Tablespoon organic granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup butter, chilled and cubed

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla paste or extract

• 1 egg

• 1 cup buttermilk 

• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar

• Also needed: rolling pin, baking sheet, parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 415 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk together the first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Blend in the chilled butter - with a pastry cutter - until you have pea sized pieces. Fold in the egg, buttermilk, vanilla, and vinegar. Press it together into a ball of dough. Remember - the less you work the dough, the softer the shortcakes will be. 

On a floured or parchment-covered surface, pat the dough down to about 3/4" thick. Fold it in thirds like an envelope and roll it out one more time to 3/4" thick. With a cookie cutter - I used a circle cutter - cut biscuits and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Macerated Berries

(do this at least one hour before you want to serve)

• 1 cup organic strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced

• 1 cup organic blueberries

• 1 cup organic raspberries

• 1 cup organic granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or paste

Place the water, lemon juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat, over medium heat, swirling the pan until the sugar is dissolved completely. Once dissolved, add in the vanilla extract and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Place prepped fruit in a bowl or container with a lid. Pour the cooled vanilla simple syrup over the fruit and let macerate for at least an hour or as much as overnight.

Also needed: unsweetened whipping cream! Split open the shortcake and layer: whipped cream, berries, shortcake top, whipped cream, berries. Dig in!!

The Alphabet Challenge So Far...

My posts are below with links to everyone else's recipes. I skipped letter 'F' apparently. Enjoy!

• A Reclaimed Æbleskiver Pan + Æbleskiver Bread Pudding

• Börek with a California Twist

• Crab-Stuffed Ravioli

• Dark Chocolate-Juniper Panna Cotta

• Elderflower & Roasted Strawberry Layer Cake

• Aïgo Bouido (Provençal Garlic Soup)

• Halva with Fiori di Sicilia

• I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Saffron-Cardamom Ice Cream

• Bulgogi-Inspired Oven Beef Jerky

• Purple Napa Kimchi

• Lingcod Over Legumes

• Mushrooms in My Cookies? Yep. Candy Cap Cookies.

• Nocino, Italian Green Walnut Liqueur

• How to Shuck Oysters and a Few Serving Ideas

• A Parade of Pickles, Including Pickled Chard Stems

• Quesabirria Tacos

• Rose Petal-Strawberry Granita