the home baker

For someone who does not fancy biscuits, scones, or shortbreads I was surprised that I like this dessert. The addition of half a cup of stone-ground graham flour and mini semi-sweet chocolate chips in the biscuits and combined with macerated bing cherries with kirsch whipped cream won me over, I guess.

Chocolate Shortcakes

1½ C all-purpose flour

½ C stone ground graham flour

¼ C sugar

¼ tsp salt

1 T baking powder

½ C very cold butter, cubed

½ C cold milk

1 small egg

1 C mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

to serve: cherries in cherry brandy (kirschwasser), whipped cream mixed with 1 T cherry brandy

• Preheat oven to 400° F.
• In a medium bowl combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the cold butter with fingertips until the mixture resembles tiny peas. Stir in chocolate chips. Mix together milk and egg and slowly pour into the flour mixture until evenly moistened. Knead 5 times on a flat surface and form into an 8-inch log. Slice into 8 equal pieces and shape into 3-inch rounds and pl ace on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Let rest for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Reheat before serving.
• To serve: Slice biscuits in half, arrange the prepared cherries evenly on the bottom half of biscuit, spoon whipped cream on top of cherries, put the other half of biscuit on top.

Bing Cherries in Cherry Brandy

1½ C bing cherries, pitted and halved

¼ C sugar

2 T clear cherry brandy

¼ C cherry jam

• Combine the first 3 ingredients and let sit for 1 hour. Drain the cherries, reserve liquid.
• In a small skillet heat the reserved liquid and cherry jam until jam has dissolved.
• Pour the sauce on the cherries.