Apple Pie Shortcake

Now that I'm back in Georgia, late spring finally feels like late spring, which means I'm even more excited to make seasonal dishes. With Memorial Day almost here, I can't wait to grill everything and make a million sides. I love to have these apple pie shortcakes on the table as well since they can be a breakfast, snack, or even a dessert, though I would advertise them as apple pie biscuits for breakfast. My family will eat these all day, and for good reason. The sweet biscuits are filled with spiced apples, making a strawberry shortcake-style treat that tastes just like apple pie without the lengthy baking time and pie crust skills.

I start by cooking the apples. Since the baking time is so short, they need to be sauteed until almost tender so they reach the proper texture overall. This is also an excuse to saturate them with buttery, sugary, cinnamony goodness. You do have to be careful not to overcook them since they will continue cooking while you make the biscuit dough and, of course, while in the oven. I find that relatively thinly sliced apples take about 3 minutes on the stove; when served, they will be tender but not mushy.

The biscuit part is like a traditional biscuit but a little bit sweeter. It absolutely has to have buttermilk, and it will bake up fluffier if the butter and buttermilk are as cold as possible. Working the dough until it is just combined will make the biscuits fluffier too; overworking the gluten in the flour makes the biscuits tough.

I combine the apples and biscuits by rolling the dough into a pretty thin rectangle and spreading the apples onto half of it (and drizzling the leftover sweet cinnamon butter mixture on top). I like to make my rectangle pretty oblong so that way all pieces are end pieces. I'm usually not an end piece person, but here that means more biscuit, so I'm pro-corner. The other half of the dough is folded over and pressed to seal, then it's cut into squares and baked until golden. This whole process is actually very simple, which means it's even easier to make double (or triple) batches to feed your whole barbecue crowd.

1 Granny Smith Apple
4 T Butter, Chilled & Cubed
2 T Butter, Softened
1 tsp Cinnamon
3 T Sugar
2 T Dark Brown Sugar
2 Cups Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp + Pinch Salt
3/4 Cup Buttermilk
1 Egg
2 T Cream

Peel, core, and slice the apple. Melt the softened butter in a large skillet, then stir in the cinnamon, dark brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Gently stir in the apple slices and cook until they just begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

Whisk the flour, 2 T sugar, baking powder, and remaining salt together. Rub the chilled butter in with your fingertips, then stir in the buttermilk until just combined. This may also be done in a food processor.

Roll the dough out to a 1/2" thick rectangle on a floured cutting board. Spread the apple slices on half, fold the other half over, and cut into squares. Refrigerate until cold.

Heat oven to 375F and line a cookie tray with parchment.

Whisk the egg and cream together. Place the biscuits on the tray and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes.

Makes 12
Recipe Adapted from Joy the Baker