Browned Butter Strawberry Shortcakes with Yogurt Whipped Cream

There's something magical about a sweet, crumbly shortcake piled high with juicy-plump strawberries and light-as-air whipped cream—it's tasty proof that spring is in the air, and summer is just around the corner. If only those virtuous strawberries could erase the cream-filled, buttery calories! Good news: There is a way to lighten and brighten this springtime classic with very little effort.

Shortcake, by definition, tends to be more crumbly and dense than cake, much like a buttery Southern biscuit. And then it occurred to me. What if I lightly sweetened a biscuit recipe and turned that into a strawberry shortcake? It just made sense.

My favorite biscuit recipe is a drop biscuit from Cooks Illustrated. The biscuit is made by stirring melted butter into cold buttermilk, then folding into dry ingredients. This process creates lumps, but you want the lumps! When stirred into the dry ingredients, those lumps become pockets of butter that get evenly distributed throughout the dough. But wait — it gets even better!

To elevate the biscuit, I browned the butter until golden in color and then added it into the cold buttermilk. Browned butter has a rich, nutty smell and caramel-like flavor. It’s delightful and the perfect accompaniment to fresh strawberries. To slightly sweeten the biscuit, I added a touch of brown sugar.

Fresh strawberries can certainly stand on their own, but a little sprinkle of sugar draws out extra juices, creating a sauce to drizzle over your fluffy biscuits.

And finally, to finish off this treat, I use an old trick I discovered several years ago. There’s no denying whipped cream is delightful, but there’s also no denying the whopping 400 calories per half cup. Heavy cream whips beautifully into Greek yogurt, creating a heavenly, fluffy topping that is delicious and light-as-air.

This recipe yields a truly decadent biscuit, berry and cream combo with almost 500 fewer calories than the original. And it's ready in just 30 minutes.

Browned Butter Strawberry Shortcakes with Yogurt Whipped Cream

Serves 12 (very easily cut in half)

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter
• 2 cups whole-wheat flour (about 240 grams)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup very cold buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 pounds strawberries
• 4 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°.
2. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until butter is lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Butter will start to smell nutty and caramelized. Watch carefully and do not burn. Set aside.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine.
4. Combine browned butter and cold buttermilk, stirring until butter forms small lumps. Add vanilla, stirring to combine.
5. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated (do not overmix) and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. (Batter will be very wet.)
6. Drop batter into 12 mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until golden.
7. While biscuits bake, slice strawberries. Combine strawberries, 2 tablespoons sugar and lemon juice; toss to coat. Set aside.
8. Place yogurt, cream and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until soft peaks form. Split biscuits; fill with berry mixture and cream.

Sidney Fry is a two-time James-Beard-Award-winning food and nutrition writer who loves creating simple, healthy recipes and thoughtful, actionable content for the hungry consumer. A healthy living proactivist, Sidney is also a registered dietitian nutritionist, recipe developer and mama of three based in Birmingham, Alabama.