I made strawberry shortcakes from scratch for the first time last week. It was a special request from my daughter that she wanted to make them with my mom, so we girls got together to mix, roll and bake. I found a low-fat version online from the Mayo Clinic. I substituted butter for the margarine because I have not been a margarine eater since I left home many years ago. Plus, the recipe only called for 2 tablespoons, which didn’t sound too terribly fattening.

Here’s the recipe from the Mayo Clinic, which I think would make a very sweet dessert for Valentine’s Day. You could even cut the biscuits into heart shapes. (These biscuits are super delicious, by the way. So flaky, which kind of surprised me since they didn’t have much butter.) Here ya go…

Healthy Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour, sifted (I never sift.)
2 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder (My baking power may have only been single-acting.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons trans-free margarine (Or in my case, butter)
3/4 cup fat-free milk

For the topping
6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
3/4 cup (6 ounces) plain fat-free yogurt (or a squirt from a can of whipped cream.)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a fork, cut the margarine into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and stir just until a moist dough forms.

Turn the dough onto a generously floured work surface and, with floured hands, knead gently 6 to 8 times until the dough is smooth and manageable. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle 1/4-inch thick. (I’d like to see someone roll dough into a rectangle. Is this on You Tube?) Cut into 6 squares. Place the squares onto the prepared baking pan and bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer the biscuits onto individual plates. Top each with 1 cup strawberries and 2 tablespoons yogurt. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Analysis
(per serving)
Calories    250     Cholesterol    2 mg
Protein    7 g     Sodium    486 mg
Carbohydrate    45 g     Fiber    4 g
Total fat    5 g     Potassium    368 mg
Saturated fat    1 g     Calcium    220 mg
Monounsaturated fat    2 g