Chocolate Berry Shortcake Food

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Combine strawberries and 1/3 cup sugar; refrigerate if desired. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and remaining sugar. Cut in butter and 2/3 cup chips until crumbly. Add half-and-half and stir until just moistened. , Divide dough into 8 patties, about 3/4-in. thick. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Brush with egg white; sprinkle with coarse sugar and remaining chips. , Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat whipping cream and confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate., To assemble, split shortcakes in half. Place cake bottoms on dessert plates. Top with about two-thirds of the strawberries, whipped cream and fudge topping. Replace shortcake tops; top with remaining berries, cream and topping. Garnish with chocolate if desired.

MIXED BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• For the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Add the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a food processor (or a large bowl). Add the butter pieces and pulse until the butter is completely cut into the flour mixture (or use a pastry cutter if using a bowl). Combine the buttermilk and vanilla in a measuring cup and while pulsing (or stirring) the dough, drizzle in the buttermilk mixture until the dough just comes together and is no longer crumbly.
• Drop the mixture in 8 clumps between 2 baking sheets, then bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
• For the berries: Wash the berries, slice the strawberries and transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle on the granulated sugar, then add the orange zest and juice. Stir gently, then set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to allow a syrup to develop.
• For the sweet yogurt cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, yogurt, granulated sugar and brown sugar on high until stiff. (Note: It won't get quite as stiff as regular whipped cream.)
• To serve, lay one biscuit on a plate, top with syrupy fruit, then top with a good spoonful of cream.

PERFECT BERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 425 degrees. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and 3 Tbs. sugar in a medium bowl. Grate 2 Tbs. of the butter on the coarse holes of a box grater into dry ingredients; toss to coat. Repeat grating and tossing with remaining butter. Combine egg and half-and-half; pour into flour mixture. Toss with a fork to form large clumps. Lightly press clumps into a ball; add a teaspoon more half-and-half to the bowl if dough won't come together.
• Turn dough onto work surface; press into an 8-by-4- to 5-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 squares, placing them 1 inch apart on a small baking sheet. (Can be refrigerated up to 2 hours before baking.) Before baking, brush tops with optional egg white for a particularly attractive sheen. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbs. sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool until warm, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Mix thawed and fresh berries with sugar in a bowl; let stand until sugar dissolves. With a hand mixer, beat cream to soft peaks, gradually adding 1 Tb. sugar, then vanilla.
• Split each cake crosswise; spoon a portion of berries over each cake bottom, then a dollop of whipped cream over berries. Cap with cake top and serve immediately.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease two 9 inch layer pans.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter or margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk, mixing until just moistened. Spread batter evenly into two prepared layer pans.
• Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar. Let the mixture stand 10 minutes.
• Cover the bottom shortcake layer with half of strawberry mixture and half of the whipped topping. Top with second shortcake layer, remaining strawberry mixture and whipped topping. Drizzle with chocolate topping.

LEMON-BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-in. round baking pan., In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk egg, buttermilk, melted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients; stir just until moistened. Fold in 1 cup strawberries. Transfer to prepared pan., Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely., For topping, toss berries with lemon juice and sugar. To serve, spread whipped topping over cake. Top with berries.

EASY MILLIONAIRE'S SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly grease and line a 20-22cm square or rectangular baking tin with a lip of at least 3cm.
• To make the shortbread, mix 250g plain flour and 75g caster sugar in a bowl. Rub in 175g softened butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Knead the mixture together until it forms a dough, then press into the base of the prepared tin.
• Prick the shortbread lightly with a fork and bake for 20 minutes or until firm to the touch and very lightly browned. Leave to cool in the tin.
• To make the caramel, place 100g butter or margarine, 100g light muscovado sugar and the can of condensed milk in a pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Continually stir with a spatula to make sure no sugar sticks to the bottom of the pan. (This can leave brown specks in the caramel but won't affect the flavour.)
• Turn up the heat to medium high, stirring all the time, and bring to the boil, then lower the heat back to low and stirring continuously, for about 5-10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened slightly. Pour over the shortbread and leave to cool.
• For the topping, melt 200g plain or milk chocolate slowly in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Pour over the cold caramel and leave to set. Cut into squares or bars with a hot knife.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• For Sauce:
• Combine cream and sugar in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until chocolate melts and sauce is smooth. Mix in brandy and vanilla. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)
• For Biscuit:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 1 1/2- inch-high sides; dust with flour. Combine 2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add chopped chocolate. Gradually add 2/3 cup buttermilk, stirring with fork until dough forms.
• Transfer dough to cake pan; press gently to level top. Brush dough with 2 tablespoons buttermilk, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake biscuit until cooked through and golden on top, about 25 minutes. Cool biscuit in pan on rack (biscuit will be 1 to 1 1/2 inches high.)
• For Filling:
• Reserve 8 berries for garnish. Slice remaining berries into large bowl. Add 4 tablespoons sugar and toss to coat; let stand until berries begin to release juices, about 30 minutes. Combine whipping cream, vanilla and 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl. Whip to soft peaks. Cover and chill cream until ready to serve.
• Rewarm sauce over low heat, stirring often. Cut around pan sides to loosen biscuit. Turn biscuit out onto work surface. Using long serrated knife, carefully cut biscuit in half horizontally. Using large spatula as aid, place biscuit bottom on platter. Spoon sliced berries with their juices over. Drizzle with some chocolate sauce. Spoon all but 1/2 cup whipped cream over; cover with biscuit top. Drop reserved whipped cream in dollops onto biscuit. Garnish with reserved whole strawberries. Cut into wedges and serve, passing remaining chocolate sauce separately.

CHERRY-CHOCOLATE SHORTCAKES WITH KIRSCH WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• For biscuits:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in chocolate. Beat milk and egg in small bowl to blend. Gradually add milk mixture to dry ingredients, tossing until dough comes together in moist clumps. Gather dough together. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and gently knead 5 turns to combine. Shape gently into 8-inch-long log. Cut log crosswise into 8 rounds; shape each into 2 1/2x3/4-inch round. Arrange rounds on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake biscuits until bottoms are golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool on rack 15 minutes. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cool completely. Wrap in foil and rewarm in 350°F oven 10 minutes before continuing.)
• For cherries:
• Combine cherries, sugar, and kirsch in medium bowl. Let stand until sugar dissolves and juices form, tossing occasionally, about 3 hours. Strain cherry juices into heavy medium saucepan. Mix in jam. Cook over medium heat until jam melts and juices form thick syrup, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Mix syrup into cherries. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• For topping:
• Beat cream, sugar, and kirsch in large bowl until peaks form. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours.
• Cut warm biscuits horizontally in half. Place bottom halves in shallow bowls. Spoon cherry mixture and cream over. Cover with biscuit tops and serve.

BERRY & CHOCOLATE LOADED COOKIES

Steps:

• Put the butter and both sugars in a large bowl and whisk using electric beaters until light and fluffy. Add the whole egg and egg yolk, then mix thoroughly, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is combined. Add the almond and vanilla extracts, and mix to combine.
• Tip in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate and salt, and mix until it forms a dough. Keep mixing until you don't have any more pockets of flour. Knead in the chocolate chips.
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Divide the mixture into 26-28 equal balls of around 40g each. Arrange on a large baking tray and leave to chill for at least 1 hr in the fridge. Can be made a day ahead and chilled overnight. Line two baking trays with baking parchment and arrange the cookies on them, leaving 5cm space between each so they can spread. Bake one tray of cookies on the top shelf for about 15-17 mins until crisp and golden, then remove from the oven and bake the second tray. Leave to cool completely on the trays.
• To make the filling, put the jam in a bowl with the finely grated white chocolate and mix well to combine.
• Once the cookies are cool, you're ready to sandwich them. Top the flat side of each with a thin layer of the jam filling, then sandwich with another. You should have 13-14 cookie sandwiches in total. If you have time, chill for a further 30 mins for the filling to set, then serve.

TRIPLE BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Transfer batter to a greased 13x9-in. pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack., For topping, in a large bowl, combine berries; add sugar and toss gently to coat. Serve with cake; top with whipped cream if desired.

CHOCOLATE BERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Combine baking mix, cocoa and nutmeg in a medium bowl; mix well.
• Add yogurt, honey, and oil, stirring until a soft dough forms.
• Drop dough by large spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet, 1 inch apart, forming 6 shortcakes.
• Bake shortcakes until a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
• Place baking sheet on a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes.
• Combine strawberries and sugar in a small bowl.
• Slice each cooled shortcake in half horizontally; place bottom halves on individual plates.
• Divide whipped cream and strawberries among shortcake bottoms.
• Top with remaining shortcake halves.
• Serve immediately.