I came across this recipe while I was searching for something to bake to use up some blueberries that were just about past their prime. I figured if it came from a Maine blueberry festival, it ought to be pretty good.
My only complaint – which was totally my own fault, not the recipe – is that I subbed a bit of whole wheat flour for some of the all-purpose flour. It made for a denser consistency to the biscuit. It was still good, but I would have liked it to be lighter. Next time, I’ll stick to only all-purpose flour.
I served this with a bowl of fresh whipped cream, which was a great, but you might want to consider a big scoop of vanilla ice cream too. Either way, this is a nice summertime dessert. (And in my opinion, it was even better the next day.)
Recipe: Baked Blueberry Shortcake
(from the Machias Festival, via The New York Times)
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbsp. sugar (I used a little more sugar – about 5 Tbsp.)
1/2 c. cold, unsalted butter, diced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. lemon extract
2 c. fresh blueberries
sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and 2 Tbsp. of sugar. Stir until well mixed. (I used 4 Tbsp. of sugar in the dough to make it a little sweeter, then some sprinkled on top of berries, and a bit more sprinkled over the top of the biscuit – for about 5 Tbsp. altogether.) With a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and lemon extract. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Spread half the dough into a lightly butter 8 inch pie plate. (I only had a 9″ pie plate, and it worked out just fine.) Spread the blueberries over the dough. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. sugar. Dot remaining dough over berries. Sprinkle top with the last Tbsp. of sugar.
Bake until the top of the shortcake is golden brown, about 25 minutes. While the shortcake is still warm, cut into wedges. Top each with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
11 comments
Comments feed for this article
July 6, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Lonely Scrapbooker
Here’s what I can’t figure out. Where do you find the time to do all this baking and cooking? And then photograph and blog it? Plus you read so much. I can’t figure it out!
July 7, 2009 at 5:57 am
ovenhaven
Oh my goodness, this looks sooo good! I’ve always avoided baking shortcakes, coz I don’t eat whipped cream, but have never thought of serving it with ice-cream! Now you’ve got me dreaming of that blueberry shortcake slice *drools*
July 7, 2009 at 1:37 pm
sumshay
YUM. That’s all I can say. Warm blueberries, cold ice cream… I’m drooling. I swear I’m going to just have to start showing up at your house everyday after work just to “sample” the day’s creation!!
July 7, 2009 at 10:54 pm
grace
a little dense or not, this still looks absolutely delicious! blueberries are so photogenic, and this is no exception. great little already-composed shortcake–all a person has to do is pile on the whipped cream!
July 7, 2009 at 11:04 pm
thecookieshop
This looks delicious! Great idea for my frozen blueberries!
July 19, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Eileen @ passions to pastry
Looks good! I’ve been debating what to do with some blueberries I have in my fridge. Might try this!
July 21, 2009 at 8:14 am
Jan, Ossining NY
I’ve had this recipe saved on my computer since I first saw it in the NY Times in 1999 and haven’t made it yet. I pulled it up today (Blueberries are on sale for $1/pint this week) as I was reviewing possible recipes to use up my stash of blueberries. I thought it looked a little short on the sugar content. I was thinking of doubling the amount in the recipe, so I Googled the name of the recipe to see if anyone in the blogosphere had made it…and there you were! Were 5 tablespoons enough? I’m usually the type that uses less sugar than the recipe, but this seemed way off.
July 21, 2009 at 8:48 am
oneordinaryday
Jan – Take another look at the recipe I used. We did 3/4 c. sugar in the lemonade. It was tart, but not too tart. I thought it was the perfect mix.
~ Michelle
July 21, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Jan, Ossining NY
I think we’re talking about 2 different recipes. I was referring to your July 5 blueberry shortcake. I just came across it today Googling for blueberry recieps.
July 21, 2009 at 1:49 pm
oneordinaryday
Jan – Whoops! You’re right. I have lemonade on the brain right now I guess. About the shortcake…. yep, 5 Tbsp. of sugar was just fine. The berries sweetened up the shortcake, and with the whipped cream there was additional sweetness. I thought the shortcake itself was delicious, and even better the next day.
~Michelle
August 5, 2009 at 3:33 am
Dani
After blueberry picking with the kids last night and bringing home POUNDS of them, I figured I should put them to good use. While the kids, with the exception of my nephew Ayden, were at the Summer Reading Club at our local library, I decided to do a little baking. It was very easy to make. I did not have a pastry cutter so I used my fingers instead (which worked just fine).
It is a delicious treat. The lemon extract adds the perfect taste to this wonderful shortcake. I think I like it even better than strawberry shortcake. Even Ayden said it was super and he could not wait until Ben got home to taste it.
I highly recommend this recipe.