Hi all,

In celebration of summer (which is thankfully still here, despite the air edging its way into fall temps ever so subtly), to me, strawberry shortcake is the quintessential summer sweet.  Its the dessert of BBQs, days on the beach, and evening dinners al fresco.  This version is a bit healthier than the usual shortcakes.  Its free of refined sugar, as well as free of dairy.  Though it is made with wheat flour.

Cheers to this tasty treat which you can hopefully enjoy at some of your last outdoor summer celebrations!

Ingredients

2 cups of wheat flour

1/2 cup of either cake flour or regular all purpose flour (you choose)

2.5 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of ginger

1.5 teaspoon of lavender buds

1 1/4 cup of coconut or almond milk

1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup + 1 or 2 more tablespoons

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

A sprinkling of coconut sugar on top (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium size bowl, mix together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon and lavender buds.
3. Add in the coconut milk, honey or maple syrup and vanilla.  Stir until just combined, forming a dough.  Don’t overmix.  This can make the biscuits tough.
4. I prefer using my hands a bit to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated together well.
5. Shape the dough into balls roughly the size of a baseball (again, just did this with my hands).  Place on a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment/baking paper.  I personally flattened each shortcake dough ball slightly so it was more of a thick disc type of shape.
6. Brush the tops of the raw shortcakes with a tad bit of coconut or almond milk on top.  Then sprinkle with a bit of coconut sugar if you like.
7. Pop them into the oven.  Bake for 22-22 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes or so.

Enjoy topped with strawberries, blueberries or blackberries (blueberries are especially awesome with lavender).  I recommend a swirl of either whipped cream or coconut yogurt on top.  Absolutely delicious.

This recipes yields about 7-8 shortcakes.

You can store the leftover ones in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.