Ingredients

  • 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, loosely packed
  • 14 cup sugar
  • 1 12 cups flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 12-23 cup light coconut milk (from a 14 oz can)
  • 1 teaspoon additional light coconut milk, for brushing on shortcakes
  • 1 tablespoon additional sugar
  • 2 (6 ounce) baskets fresh strawberries
  • 1 (4 ounce) basket fresh blueberries
  • toasted coconut

Method

  • Heat oven to 375F Have ready a large cookie sheet and a 3 inch star cutter.
  • (If you don't have a star cutter, use can use a round cutter).
  • Process coconut and sugar in a food processor until coconut is finely chopped.
  • Mix together the flour and the baking powder in a medium bowl.
  • With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • Pour 1/2 c of the lite coconut milk in with the mixture and stir with a spoon until mixture clumps together and is slightly sticky, adding more liquid, a little at a time, if necessary (up to the 2/3 cup in total).
  • (Note: You can mix the shortcake dough in a processor too.
  • Process the dry ingredients briefly to mix and then scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • With motor running, add coconut milk and process just until mixture leaves sides of bowl.
  • Remove blades and then dough.
  • ).
  • Place dough on a floured work surface; flour top.
  • Pat to a little more than 3/4 inch thickness.
  • Dipping cutter into flour for each, cut as many forms as possible from dough; then gently pat scraps together, fold over once, press dough out to 3/4 inches and cut as many more forms as possible from that.
  • Repeat until you have 8 forms.
  • Place forms 2 inches apart on an ungreased cooke sheet.
  • Brush top lightly with the 1 tbls of reserved coconut milk, then sprinkle with coarse or granulated sugar.
  • Bake 12 minutes or until slightly puffed, bottoms are brown and tops are pale gold.
  • Gently slide cakes onto a wire rack and cool completely.
  • Shortly before serving, split shortcakes in half (using a serrated knife and gentle sawing motion makes it easier and less likely to tear the shortcake).
  • Fill with berries and top with whipped cream and sprinkle with toasted coconut.