Shortcut Strawberry Vanilla Dessert Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Make and bake drop cookies as directed on pouch. Cool completely, at least 20 minutes. Set aside 4 cookies for garnish.
• In food processor, process half of the remaining cookies to coarse crumbs. Remove to medium bowl. Continue to process second half of remaining cookies to coarse crumbs; add to bowl. Stir in melted butter until well blended. In ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, press cookie crumb mixture firmly in bottom. Set aside.
• In large bowl, beat cream cheese spread, powdered sugar and jam with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, scraping down side of bowl frequently. Beat in 2 cups of the whipped topping. Spread over cookie crust.
• In another medium bowl, beat dry pudding mixes and milk with whisk about 2 minutes or until thick. Spread over cream cheese mixture. Drop remaining whipped topping by spoonfuls over pudding layer; spread evenly. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours.
• When ready to serve, crumble remaining 4 cookies; sprinkle cookies and strawberries on top. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pieces.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place strawberries in a bowl; sprinkle with lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar. Let stand to release juices, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a fork to cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal.
• Whisk together egg and 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cream. Slowly add mixture to dry ingredients; mix with a fork until dough just comes together. Do not overmix. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; pat into a 6-inch square, 1 inch thick. Cut four rounds using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Whisk together egg yolk and 1 tablespoon cream; brush over tops of biscuits. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes.
• To make vanilla whipped cream, place remaining 1 cup cream and vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat; scald, and remove from heat. Cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Scrape seeds into cream, and discard pod. Pass cream mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl set in a large bowl of ice and water. Let stand until completely cold. Transfer to a large chilled metal bowl; add confectioners' sugar. Whip by hand into soft peaks (an electric mixer can curdle the cream), about 5 minutes.
• To assemble, slice the shortcakes open while warm with a bread knife. Divide strawberries and liquid among bottom halves of shortcakes; top with large dollops of vanilla whipped cream and upper halves of shortcakes, and serve.

Steps:

• Toss berries with sugar; let stand 10 min. or until sugar is dissolved. Meanwhile, cut each cake slice diagonally in half; place 1 cake piece on each of 12 dessert plates.
• Beat pudding mix and milk with whisk 2 min. Stir in 1/2 the COOL WHIP.
• Spoon 2 Tbsp. berries over each cake piece on plate. Top with pudding mixture and remaining cake pieces, berries and COOL WHIP.

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan, line it with parchment paper, butter the paper, and dust the pan lightly with flour.
• Whisk the flour with the granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Lightly whisk in the butter, egg, milk, and vanilla, just until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan, flip upright, and cool completely on the rack.
• For the strawberries and cream: Set aside 1 pint of the best-looking whole berries for topping the cake. Hull and thinly slice the rest of the berries and toss with the granulated sugar. Set aside. Whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• To assemble the cake: Cut the cake in half horizontally with a serrated knife. Place the bottom layer cut side up on a cake stand or serving plate. Drizzle the juices from the sliced berries over the cut sides of both halves. Fold a couple tablespoons of the whipped cream into the sliced berries and spread over the bottom layer. Top with the other piece of cake, cut side down. Spread the remaining whipped cream on the top of the cake and top the cake with the whole berries.
• Know-How: Cutting a cake into layers is easy as saw-spin-separate: Begin to saw the cake in half horizontally. Just before you reach the middle of the cake, give it a quarter turn. Continue to saw almost to the center, then give it another quarter turn and saw again until you reach your original point of entry. Saw completely through the cake's center and separate the layers.
• Copyright (c) 2004 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved.

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream sugar and shortening. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with milk to the creamed mixture. Spread in a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Cool on wire rack. , Cut into nine servings. Split each serving horizontally and fill with whipped cream and strawberries. Replace top of cake; garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and more berries. Serve immediately.