Okay, you guys, I have to start off by saying this recipe is everything! If you had to bake only one thing this summer, this would be it! And now that summer is in full swing, we are trying to spend most of our time outside with friends and family, trying to pack in all the fun seasonal activities including making the most amazing memories with family and friends. We made sure to check raspberry picking with our cousins off of our list last week. I mean, is there anything better than a whole group of cousins berry picking together? We got some cute photos to document it too!

We, of course, were then inspired to make some raspberry shortcakes to use up some of those delicious berries. I’m not going to lie, our food editor Erin’s recipe is just mouth watering. Fresh and delicious, it’s the perfect summer dessert!

This really is a simple recipe, best served with fresh berries and a dollop of Chantilly cream (a fancy word for slightly sweetened whipped cream). These are perfect to whip up for a summer’s night dessert with friends/family. These freeze well and leftovers are highly recommended spread with jam and enjoyed with your morning coffee! You won’t regret making these with any fresh summer fruit.

Raspberry Cornmeal Shortcakes
Serves 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes total
Bake Time: 15-18 minutes

Ingredients Cornmeal Shortcake 
3 1/4 cup +1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp Sugar
Zest of one Lemon

3 1/2 Tbsp Cornmeal
1 1/3 cup Whipping Cream (35%)

1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into 1″ cubes

Fresh Raspberries- And how fun to make a trip out with the kids to pick your own! 

How To:
Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Stir to evenly disperse the ingredients and set aside. Measure out the cream into a small bowl. Set aside.

In a small pan, lightly toast the cornmeal on medium heat until fragrant (about 3-4 minutes), then transfer it into the cream and whisk well.

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or a food processor. (You want there to be small pea-sized portions of butter dispersed throughout the mixture.) If using a food processor, pulse it a couple of times to obtain this texture.

Give everything a good mix and then pour over the cream/cornmeal mixture. Use a spatula to bring the mixture together. At this point, I like to fold the dough over itself a couple times using my hands.

Place the dough on on a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 3/4″ thick square. Using a 3″ round cookie cutter, cut 6 portions. Bring together the scraps of dough and you should be able to cut out 2 more portions. Optionally, if you want them to be square, you can roll out to 3/4″ thick square and cut into 8 equal portions.  We like to pop ours into the freezer while the oven preheats to help them hold their shape in the oven.

When the shortcakes are taking a quick rest in the freezer, preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Once about 20 minutes have passed, place the chilled shortcakes on the prepared pan. Bake them in the oven for 18-20 minutes until puffed up and sightly golden.

Remove from the oven. Let cool for 3 minutes before removing from the pan and letting cool on a wire rack.

To Serve:
For a lightly sweetened whipped cream, I use 2 tsp of sugar and a dash of vanilla extract for every 1 cup of cream.
You can either put all fresh berries on the shortcakes or macerate your berries in a little vanilla sugar.
These shortcakes are best eaten on the day they are made, but they will be fine kept in an airtight container for up to two days.
You can always freeze them for those impromptu dinner parties! They will keep in the freezer in a sealed container for up to three months.