Mini Strawberry Shortcake Cups
MAKES 24 MINI MUFFIN CUPS
These little cups taste like shortbread and are filled with delicious, fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream. Since the cups freeze easily, they make a great dinner-party dessert. All you have to do is pull them out of the freezer about an hour before you plan to serve them and make the whipped cream at the last minute. I’ve substituted blueberries for strawberries before, and it’s delicious either way. I don’t add sugar to my whipped cream here because I think the cups and berries provide the perfect level of sweetness.
COOKIE CUPS
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon table salt
1⁄3 cup white cane sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
SHORTCAKE TOPPING
½ cup heavy cream (carrageenan-free), chilled
8 ounces fresh strawberries, chopped
For the Cookie Cups, preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan with 1 tablespoon of the softened butter, dividing equally.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, cream together the remaining 6 tablespoons of the softened butter and the sugar using an electric mixer. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until just combined. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a little bit at a time, beating until well mixed. Refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes.
Form the chilled dough into 24 balls about 1 inch in diameter and place into each muffin cup. Using your thumb, make an indention in each ball, forming a little cup. Poke the tines of a fork into the bottom of each cup to create tiny holes. Bake the cups until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. If the cups are raised in the middle, gently press down on the warm dough with your thumb to create a bigger indention for the strawberries. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
When you’re ready to serve, make the Shortcake Topping: Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until firm peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Fill each cup with strawberry pieces and top with the fresh whipped cream. Serve immediately.
