Spiced Peach Shortcakes

I had a nice time visiting with Bev last week when I went to get some fresh peaches from her orchard. My new neighbor who bought the cabbage farm next door was coincidentally there picking some peaches herself and it was nice to squeeze in some girl talk that morning. It also happened to be Colin and my anniversary so on my way home I started thinking about what I could make with the peaches for dessert that night and these little shortcakes began to develop in my mind. I was so happy to see Colin and the boys enjoying them later that night.

Spiced Shortcakes:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon molasses

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine flour, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a food processor and pulse until blended and butter pieces are roughly the size of small peas or peppercorns. (You can also cut the ingredients all together in a large bowl using forks or a handheld pastry blender). Make sure to take care to not over mix.

Combine the milk, egg, and molasses together in a small bowl or measuring cup and gently stir until the egg is slightly mixed in. Pour liquid mixture into the flour mixture and gently toss with a fork until it all begins to come together. Give the mixture a few flips and squeezes with your hands until it's all held together and turn out onto a floured surface. (Again, take care to not over mix the dough). Dust top with more flour and press into a 3/4 inch thick circle. Using a biscuit cutter, press out your shortcakes and place them on a parchment lined (or lightly oiled) baking sheet. (This recipe makes about 9 shortcakes). Bake for 8-10 minutes, just until center begins to feel slightly firm to the touch on the top center of the shortcakes, and the bottoms are browned.

Spiced Whipped Cream:

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or more or less to taste)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Granulated sugar to taste

While the shortcakes are baking, prepare your whipped cream. For 9 shortcakes, I like to make about 2 cups of whipped cream. To prepare your whipped cream, pour whipping cream into a large bowl. Add Cinnamon and nutmeg and whip until the cream just begins to thicken. At this point, while the beater is still running, drizzle in the honey. (I like to use 1 teaspoon of honey per cup of whipping cream). After honey is whipped in, slowly pour in the sugar and beat until the cream is fully whipped.

After the shortcakes have cooled to just slightly warm, or room temperature, you are ready to serve! Cut cakes in half, top with whipped cream and freshly sliced peaches and dust with a tiny bit of nutmeg, if desired.

For an extra little finishing touch, dust with a bit of ground nutmeg:

Notes:

The shortcakes will look sort of dry and crumbly but they are the perfect texture and are actually quite tender, light, and delicious and hold up really well for several days if stored at room temperature in an airtight container.

I add honey to my whipped cream because it stabilizes the cream, and it won't separate. (This is really great if you're storing your extra whipped cream for any period of time!)

*Thoughts*

I've touched briefly on this recently... It's been nice making a comeback here on the blog after several years of barely making it here to post during that time. I was taking care of my family who needed my complete focus. Something that took a hold over me while I was away was that it was almost entirely impossible to have a creative thought. I was just trying to make it through. In hindsight, I've thought that it's so sad that in my most trying times, the creativity fell away. I missed those thoughts so so much. Now, more than ever, I'm so thankful for every little life moment that feeds my soul - like a freshly picked peach, the scent of peaches hanging in the orchard air, visiting with my neighbors, riding my bike to get corn from Francis at Eleven Acres, tending to the lavender, and hearing one of my children whistling or humming a song. It's all bringing me back to life and I'm so happy to be here again.

. . . . . .

Between posts on my website, and all year long, I'm preparing for The Farm Chicks Vintage & Handmade Fair. You can read alI about it here. I also document my life on Instagram. You can follow along with me there.

. . . . . .

Comments

[Sara]

These look amazing! Can't wait to try them out. So glad to hear that your family is in a good place so you are able to be creative again. It is the valleys that make us appreciate the peaks even more.