Strawberry Shortcake

A certain niece of mine left a toy on my toilet the other day when my sister and her kids came down to go to the zoo ... A strawberry shortcake toy!

But that's not the kind of Strawberry Shortcake I'm here to tell you about today ... Nope! It's homemade, healthy strawberry shortcake.

Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:

Shortcakes:

   * 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

   * 3 tablespoons sugar

   * 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

   * 1/2 teaspoon salt

   * 3 tablespoons cold (salted) butter, cut into small pieces

   * 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk

   * 1 large egg, slightly beaten

   * 1 teaspoon lemon juice

   * 1 tablespoon sliced almonds (optional)

   

   * Filling

   * 4 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced

   * 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar (depending on the ripeness of the berries)

   * 1 teaspoon lemon juice

   * 1 tablespoon orange juice

   * 2 tablespoons 0 percent or 2 percent fat Greek Yogurt per serving, for garnish

   * Confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Shortcakes: 

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with your fingers until it resembles coarse meal.

Whisk together 1/2 cup buttermilk, the egg, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Add to the flour mixture and lightly mix with your hands just until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. With lightly floured hands, gently pat the dough into a 7-inch round about 1/2-inch thick. I had to add a bit more flour to the dough at this point because it was so sticky, so keep this in mind. You don't want it heavily floured, but enough that it's not going to be impossible to cut into pieces. Cut into 8 equal sized wedges. 

Space the shortcakes evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon buttermilk and sprinkle with the almonds. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Filling: Combine the strawberries, sugar, zest, and juice in a large bowl. Let stand until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is syrupy, about 15 minutes.

Split the shortcakes. Place the bottom halves of the shortcakes on plates and top evenly with the strawberry mixture and the yogurt. Cover with tops of the shortcakes. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if using.

Nutritonal analysis per serving: 1 shortcake with 1/2 cup filling and 1 tablespoon topping.

Calories 215; Total Fat 6 g; (Sat Fat 3 g, Mono Fat 2 g, Poly Fat 0.5g) ; Protein 6 g; Carb 35 g; Fiber 2 g; Cholesterol 39 mg; Sodium 270 mg