Cinnamon Crunch Shortcakes

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll
out the biscuit dough 3/4-inch thick. Using a heart shaped or any
other biscuit cutter that measures 3 inches at its widest point, cut
out 5 shortcakes as close together as possible. Press the cutter
straight down; don’t twist it. If the cutter sticks to the dough, dip
it in flour between cuts. Gather the scraps together and press or
roll out as before. Cut out 2 more shortcakes. Press the remaining
scraps into a ball, flatten and cut out the last shortcake.
(Alternatively, on a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into an
8-inch round. Halve the round, then cut each half into 3 wedges for a
total of 6 triangular shortcakes.) Place the shortcakes on an
ungreased baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

In a medium bowl, gently toss the raspberries and blackberries to
combine. In a medium nonreactive saucepan, gently toss the
blueberries with 2/3 cup of the sugar and 2 teaspoons of

water. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring once or twice and
brushing down the sides of the pan, just until the blueberries start
to pop and release their juices, about 3 minutes. If the sugar hasn’t
dissolved, stir in a few more drops of water. Remove the pan from the
heat and add the raspberries and blackberries. Do not stir. Transfer
the berries to the bowl.

Bake the shortcakes in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes, or
until golden brown. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon.
Immediately after removing the shortcakes from the oven, dip them in
the butter and cinnamon sugar as follows. Holding a shortcake right
side up, dip the bottom in the melted butter. Place the shortcake,
buttered side down, in the cinnamon sugar and shake the bowl so that
the sugar adheres to and completely covers the bottom. Then turn the
shortcake over and dip the top in the butter and cinnamon sugar in
the same manner. Place the shortcake right side up on a plate.
Continue with the remaining shortcakes. (If the level of the butter
is too low for dipping the last shortcake, use a pastry brush to
generously brush the butter on the top and bottom of the biscuit.)

Using your fingers, gently split open the shortcakes. Spoon about 1/2
cup of the berries over the bottom of each shortcake. Cover with the
shortcake tops and spoon a dollop of whipped cream alongside. Serve
at once.

Yield: 8 servings

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