Strawberry-Raspberry Shortcakes

That's right! I made dessert. You don't see that too often from me so get excited. In the hopes of prolonging summer I made Strawberry-Raspberry Shortcakes that hit the spot and reminded me that there is nothing like a juicy, fresh summer strawberry. The raspberries added variety and intensity to this American favorite and using fat free cool whip and a lower-fat shortcake helped to make this dessert, if not healthy, at least not awful.

This dessert is fairly fast to make. Get the shortcake ready while your meal is cooking and then pop them in the oven as you sit down to dinner. By the time you are done they'll be ready to serve! And, feel free to mix it up. Vary which berries you use and get creative. Just remember, if the strawberries are fresh this dessert will never fail to satisfy.

Strawberry-Raspberry Shortcakes
Check out Cooking Light's recipe for the base for my creation. You can basically follow the shortcake recipe as written. If you do not have Turbinado Sugar, do not despair. It's unrefined sugar, or basically, almost identical to brown sugar. You can feel free to substitute brown sugar (as I did) without a second thought or single worry.

You'll see that Cooking Light wants you to make a jelly-ish or almost pie-like filling to place on the shortcakes. After much deliberation I decided against that. I decided, and am glad that I did, to simply use fresh strawberries and fresh raspberries. First, I prefer raspberries to blackberries and wanted to see them used here for purely taste reasons. But second, I was against mixing my berries with jelly and lemon juice simply because to me, nothing is better than fresh berries. I did not want a pie filling but just warm, freshly made shortcakes topped with fresh berries and whipped cream. If you make the opposite decision and follow Cooking Light's lead, let me know how it goes. But otherwise just ignore that, chop up your strawberries, wash your raspberries, and toss on some handfuls when your shortcakes are ready to go.

Finally, the presentation is up to you. I simply took a shortcake wedge, put strawberries and raspberries on it (with some falling off) and then dollopped on some fat free cool whip. The picture at Cooking Light shows that they cut them in half to make mini sandwiches. Go whatever route you want, but mostly remember to enjoy this delicious dessert!