Winter Apple & Pear Shortcakes

My all-time favorite summertime dessert is strawberry shortcakes. I make them just about every other weekend. Extra strawberries and extra whipped cream, please!

So I thought, Why not create a winter version, since strawberries are out of season when it’s cold outside? And it clicked: I could use apples and pears! Then I came up with these tender whole wheat shortcakes and a rum-spiked whipped cream. Because in winter, everything should be rum-spiked. End of story.

Pull out the fuzzy slippers and board games—it’s about to get real cozy!

MAKES 8 SHORTCAKES • TOTAL TIME: 30 TO 40 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE SHORTCAKES:

1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

¾ cup whole wheat flour

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Turbinado sugar

FOR THE FILLING:

2 Honeycrisp apples, unpeeled, cored and diced (about 4 cups)

2 Bosc pears, unpeeled, cored and diced (about 4 cups)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ cup packed light brown sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

• To make the shortcakes: Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a pastry cutter to cut and blend the butter into the dry ingredients.
• In a separate bowl, combine the ⅓ cup buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, stirring until a flaky dough comes together.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to ¾ inch thick and use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to stamp out 8 shortcakes. Transfer the shortcakes to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining 1 tablespoon buttermilk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden.
• To make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the apples, pears, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cornstarch, and salt. Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, add the apple and pear mixture plus ¼ cup of water, and cook until the fruit is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Add more water if the liquids have thickened too quickly. (The cooking time may vary depending on how ripe the pears are.)
• Once the fruit is tender and the liquids have thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool slightly.
• While the fruit cools down, prepare the Rum Whipped Cream. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to serve.
• To serve, slice the warm shortcakes in half, top the bottom half with a large spoonful of warm apple and pear filling, and spoon on a dollop of rum whipped cream. Add the shortcake top and spoon on more filling and whipped cream. Serve immediately.