Heart-Shaped Strawberry Shortcakes

Ingredients

• 3.5 cups self-rising flour
• 0.33 cups white sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1.25 cups chilled butter , cut into pieces
• 1 egg
• 3.5 cups whipped cream
• 0.25 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract , or to taste
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 quart fresh strawberries , sliced
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 cups whipped cream , or as desired

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. 2

   Sift the self-rising flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the cold butter pieces, and chop the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like crumbs. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg and whipped cream together, and pour into the bowl containing the flour mixture; add milk and vanilla extract. Stir to make a dough.

3. 3

   Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. Spread the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar.

4. 4

   Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes; allow the cake to cool completely. With a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 16 hearts from the cake. It helps to wiggle the cutter slightly while cutting. Remove cut-outs carefully to avoid breaking.

5. 5

   Mix strawberries with 3 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl; place a shortcake heart on a plate, and top with sweetened strawberries, then spoon about 2 tablespoons of whipped cream on the berries. Top with another heart-shaped shortcake and serve.