One summer evening as I baked countless batches of gluten free cookies, my older son popped into the kitchen. Determined to join me in my culinary adventures, he decided to make gluten free strawberry shortcake from scratch (as in using no cookbook or recipe). The twist? He’s a chocolate lover, so he made Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake.
As you may know, Jewish mothers tend to think of their sons as geniuses, and I am no exception. I love that my 12 year old boy could whip up a recipe from scratch with no help whatsoever. I think that the boys have learned this skill (my 11 year old specializes in omelets and pancakes), from hanging out with me while I cook.
My favorite thing about cooking is making mistakes. As a perfectionist, I find this very freeing. Strangely, my son created this cute little recipe on his first try. I have taught the boys to measure and write down all of the ingredients they use when cooking. This way, if they like something and it turns out well, they can make it again. Or I can make it and share it with you all.
So, I present you with my 12 year old son’s gluten free Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake. He did not want me to disclose his name, though said it was ok to use his first initial –“J.”
Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
Gluten Free Chocolate Biscuits
- 1½ cups blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup agave nectar or honey
Filling/Topping
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons agave nectar or honey
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda
- In a small bowl, combine eggs and agave
- Stir wet ingredients into dry
- Batter will be wet, so using a 2 tablespoon scoop, scoop batter onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet
- Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes
- Cool biscuits completely and set aside
- In a large bowl, whip cream, agave and vanilla
- Slice biscuits in half horizontally
- Place bottom halves on a platter; top each one with a dollop of whipped cream and strawberries
- Top with remaining biscuit halves, and more whipped cream and strawberries
- Serve to your hungry gang
To make these Strawberry Shortcakes dairy free, substitute the entire filling/topping recipe with my Coconut Whipped Cream recipe.
So this simple strawberry recipe is easy enough to make with your children. And if you have little ones that follow a gluten-free diet, well, this is even better.
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Cooking with children can be a blast; here are some other quick and easy child friendly recipes you can make with your little ones:
–Chocolate Chip Cookies (with video!)
–Liberté, Egalité, Crudité
–Kale with Cranberries
Tari Pie says
Wonderful! I can’t wait to make these for my G-free mom. Tell “J” Thank you!
Becca says
Does anyone know how much this would make? I would like to make it for my immediate family Labor Day get together, but unsure if I should double it or not.
Tina says
I used a slightly larger scoop for mine, 50ml which is just a hair larger than 3Tbsp & it made 8. I just baked them for an extra few minutes. They are still really nice the next day :o)
Tina says
Oops! Also meant to say that the larger size was perfect for dessert…. not too large at all.
Mia says
Please thank J for this recipe. I am looking forward to making it!
Laura C says
I just returned from a summer in Germany where we rented an apartment. I brought with us some almond flour, coconut flour, arrow root powder and photos of a few of my favorite recipes from the original and new cupcake cookbooks on my iPhone. The apartment had no measuring cups or spoons and I was clueless at the all German food store. Hysterically signing that I needed something that made cakes rise I was unsure if I had baking powder, baking soda or even yeast! Relying solely on proportions and the dozens and dozens of Elena’s recipes I has made I spent the summer just winging it. With limited ingredients we created what we called Elena’s Kitchen Sink muffins which were never the same twice. The kids had fun guessing what was in them and we survived in a country where breaded items rule. Thanks Elana and I am glad your son likes to experiment.
Karen Baldwin says
I am so excited to try this recipe, chocolate makes everything better! Congrats on raising children who can cook for themselves. My daughter is leaving for college in 2 weeks, she eats gluten free and is very capable of taking care of herself. It is one thing I don’t have to worry about and I am grateful I took the time to teach her.
Sophie says
Thanks for a really delicious recipe! I read your post right before dinner and I said to my husband, “I’ll make dessert if you’ll make the main course!”. They were so easy to make and I had fresh berries and cream in the fridge so I was excited to make them and my family LOVED it. I was pleasantly surprised by the texture which was moist and dense and had a great chocolate flavor. I rarely whip cream anymore so you should have seen my girls’ eyes! They were even more shocked when I told them that the recipe was created by a twelve year-old boy. They were visibly impressed. :). Thanks again, we look forward to trying out more of your young chef’s recipes. Tell him he has fans in Minnesota! Have a wonderful day ~ now I’m happy I still have a few leftover to eat with my coffee!
Kate (Peacocks & Moonshine) says
Mr. J is officially the coolest 12-year old ever! I am 25 and I still don’t have that kind of kitchen confidence. He must get it from his momma :) Loved the comment about Jewish Mothers, too. Hope you and your family have a great weekend-
Kate
Audra says
OMG that looks so good. I can’t wait to try it!
Tina says
I made this for dessert tonight…..very yum! I made them a bit bigger as my scoop is larger. I just baked them for an extra few minutes. They were almost like a brownie on the inside! I will be making these again for sure!! Thanks for another great recipe :o)
Megan says
Your son is a genius!! Made a batch using the exact recipe and they turned out beautifully. I made another using 1/3 cup of coconut sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of vanilla. It threw the liquid to flour ratio off – may need to add another egg if you want to substitute the agave for a powdered sugar. But they still tasted yummy!!