cinnamon basil strawberry shortcakes

how incredible is this? cinnamon basil.

pretty sure my mouth hit the floor and i grabbed the plant straight from Ginny's hands when she mentioned cinnamon basil. this was a first for me. how is it i have never heard of this amazing variety of basil?

armed with another pint of native strawberries i knew exactly what i wanted to make with my new found basil. strawberry shortcake with cinnamon basil biscuits.

it was total love at first bite.

i wanted to create a biscuit with notes of sweet and spice

agave sweetened spelt biscuits with cinnamon basil was the perfect fit.

exactly what i was looking for.

a healthy dose of Vietnamese cinnamon fills your home with a whole lotta cinnamon love

cinnamon basil, is of course part of the basil family. it also contains cinnamte, the same chemical that gives cinnamon its flavor, and has the strongest scent of cinnamon.The leaves are small to medium sized. The combination of basil and cinnamon flavors make cinnamon basil popular for use in hot drinks and with fruits {source}

the biscuits are baked - my intent was to bake these on the grille, however when a cold front moved in last week i decided the oven would be best.

native strawberries are hulled and quartered. then sprinkled with a healthy dose of a stevia sugar blend.

this is new to me - i came across a domino stevia sugar blend on sale and decided to give it a try - it was pretty good. this is only based on the above recipe, i am curious to see how it does in baked goods.

the sugar helps release the natural juices in the berries, creating a beautiful juicy berry topping

once assembled the flavors play along with each other amazingly well. better than I had hoped for. after each bite by taste buds would do a little happy dance.

a perfect dessert to end a day of berry picking or a weekend BBQ.the biscuits & strawberries can be made up to 2 days in advance.

i strongly recommend serving each shortcake with a little scoop of your favorite vegan ice cream or a healthy scoop of coconut whipped creme - or mimi creme!
 this little extra brings together all the flavors in the shortcake.

the biscuits aren't your typical mile high super flaky biscuit - however these biscuits are pretty fabulous in their own right

so take sometime this weekend, grab a pint of berries from your farmer or farmers market and carve out a little time this weekend to make this super awesome dessert.having trouble finding cinnamon basil? simple omit, you will still have yourself a wonderful treat.

Cinnamon Basil Strawberry Shortcakes

makes 4 shortcakes

you will need:

2 cups spelt flour + 3 tbsp for kneading

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp good cinnamon

4 tbsp cold vegan butter

2 tsp torn cinnamon basil

2 tbsp agave

1/4 cup almond milk

2 cups strawberries

4 tbsp sugar (i used a sugar/stevia blend)

whipped coconut cream or non dairy vanilla ice cream for serving

assembly:

pre heat oven to 350*

in a medium bowl sift together dry ingredients ( flour through cinnamon)

with a pastry cutter, a fork or 2 knives cut butter into flour until pea size pieces form

add basil stir until well distributed

stir in agave & milk until dough comes together - turn out onto a lightly floured surface. gently knead remaining flour into dough. pat dough into a 1/2" thick square/round, using a biscuit cutter - cut 2 biscuits from dough, reshape dough and cut 1 additional biscuit. form remaining dough into the last biscuit. transfer biscuits to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire baking rack. biscuits can be made up to 2 days in advance.

prepare the strawberries by rinsing, hulling and quartering the berries. place strawberries in a medium bowl and toss with sugar - allow to sit for at least 1 our to give the berries a chance to release their natural juices.

to serve, split on biscuit in half, top with berries and vegan ice cream or

coconut or Mimi creme whipped cream

enjoy!

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