Loaded with layers of fresh berries and cream, plus tender shortcakes, this pretty Mason Jar Dessert is perfect for summer!
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Is it a weekend? A holiday? A regular ol' summer day when you want a cool and refreshing dessert? Heck, maybe it's not even summer—maybe you just found some gorgeous berries at the store and want to make a tasty treat!
For any or all of these occasions, this Mason Jar Dessert is just the ticket. Fresh berries are layered with homemade rounds of shortcake biscuits and luscious whipped cream. It's a simple fruit shortcake dessert that is really delicious.
Berrying in New England
The season to pick-your-own berries in New England spans June for strawberries and July through September for blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. It's one of my favorite summertime activities. Yes, it means time spent hunched over shrubs and plants in the scorching sun. For raspberries and blackberries it also means trying (unsuccessfully) to pick berries without getting scratched and snagged on pickers!
So why do we love berrying so much? It's because the sweetness of these just-picked berries is almost indescribable. They're so juicy and luscious, and the flavor is more intense in these smaller berries than in the mammoth ones sold in grocery stores. Picking your own also means you get to sneak a few or a whole lot into your mouth as you fill your little green basket.
In Vermont, I loved blueberry and black raspberry picking at Paul Mazza's fruit stand, and growing up we had berry bushes growing wild nearby. I keep a lookout for wild berry canes and tiny wild strawberry plants, which when left unchecked can pop up in the backyard, along sidewalks, and in fields. I can't pass up a handful of free berries!
Why you'll love this recipe
These summery Berries and Cream Shortcakes are great for a casual dessert for your family and friends. The shortcake rounds bake up quickly and can be made in advance.
Assembling the mason jar desserts is quick too, and if you have kids in the house they will LOVE helping with this dessert.
The mason jar desserts highlight the simple and delicious flavors of fresh berries, tender cake, and fresh cream. They're really cute, too! Serving the layered fruit desserts in small mason jars means your hungry fans can see the colorful layers: festive and beautiful.
Oh, and you probably noticed the red, white, and blue of these easy mason jar desserts. That's why they're perfect for the 4th of July and Memorial Day celebrations. Not to mention backyard barbecues, potlucks, brunch gatherings—you get the idea.
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More Red, White, and Blue Recipes
🔪 How to make Berries and Cream Shortcake Mason Jar Desserts
Ingredients:
- Berries: Choose the freshest blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries you can find. When they're in season, the tastiest berries are at farmer's markets and produce stands.
- Whipped Cream: Use readymade whipped cream or make them even more delicious with my recipe for homemade whipped cream.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour from King Arthur Baking
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is the choice here, and is used in the shortcakes and to macerate the fruit.
- Baking Powder: This leavener gives some lift to the shortcakes.
- Salt: Just a pinch enhances the flavor of the shortcakes.
- Butter: Use unsalted, cold butter—it's why the shortcakes are so yummy.
- Half-and-Half: It's the liquid that brings the shortcake dough together.
- Step 1: Macerate the fruit by tossing the berries with sugar. Let the fruit sit while you make the shortcakes.
- Step 2: Mix dry ingredients together and then cut in cubes of cold butter. Stir in some half and half, then turn the mixture out onto a floured surface. Give the shortcake dough a couple of quick kneads before rolling it out. Use a small, round cutter to cut out rounds.
- Step 3: Place the rounds on a baking sheet, give them a quick chill in the fridge, then bake them for just under 10 minutes.
- Step 4: When the rounds are cool, layer them in the small mason jars with the juicy fruit and sweetened whipped cream - the details are spelled out below in the recipe. Finish each jar with a dollop of cream and a few berries, then dig in!
Tips:
- Mason jars are cute, inexpensive, and put the pretty layers of this dessert on display. If you don’t have half-pint-sized mason jars, consider picking some up. They’re great for these mini desserts, and also for small cocktails like gin and tonics or margaritas. Or, you can always use small glass dishes or dessert bowls instead.
FAQs
In pastry making, short means a dough with a high percentage of fat to flour. When baked, short pastries and cookies are rich and crumbly. Shortcakes are made with butter, lard, or shortening, and when baked they have a biscuit-like texture. My shortcakes are made with all butter, which makes them really delicious.
Shortcakes have a tender, crumbly texture that's similar to a biscuit. Because they're made with sugar, they have a light sweetness, too. The rustic, homey texture and taste of shortcakes makes them a perfect accompaniment to juicy, fresh fruits and fruit sauces—especially when topped with sweetened whipped cream.
You can assemble this dessert in a jar recipe up to an hour before serving. Or, you can prepare the components ahead of time, like
baking the shortcake rounds up to three days in advance and making homemade whipped cream one day in advance. Keep the berries whole and unwashed until you're ready to assemble the shortcake desserts.
Macerating fruit (like the berries in this recipe) means stirring sliced or chopped fruit with sugar, and then letting the mixture rest so they release their juices. If you want your fruit a little less sweet, you can cut back on the amount of sugar that gets stirred with the berries.
While I love this dessert with fresh berries, I get it—they may not be available, especially out of season. If that's the case then yes: you can substitute frozen berries. Let them thaw, and drain off excess juice so that the filling doesn't get too soggy once assembled. The thawed fruit will be a little softer in the mason jar desserts, but they'll still be absolutely delicious.
This cream and berry dessert is pretty to look at and a delight to eat. The individual desserts come together quickly, and are simple enough to make with kids. Serve them for a casual, summer night dessert or bring a tray of the jar desserts out for potlucks and parties.
The recipe for Berries and Cream Shortcakes Mason Jar Desserts is below! And here are more summery, fruity desserts:
💬 How do you like these mason jar desserts? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Mason Jar Desserts: Berries and Cream Shortcakes
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Equipment
- 6 half-pint glass mason jars
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached (plus extra for rolling out dough)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter (2 ounces), cold
- ⅓ cup half-and-half
- 1 cup blueberries (about 5-6 ounces), washed & stems removed
- 1 cup red raspberries (about 5 ounces), washed and dried
- 8 medium strawberries (about 6 ounces), washed, hulled & sliced
- 1½ cups fresh, sweetened whipped cream, or spray whipped cream can also be used
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Macerate the fruit:
- Set aside a few of each berry for garnishing the finished desserts. Place the blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries into a medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar over the berries and toss them with a spoon to coat them. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set the berries aside until it's time to assemble the mason jar desserts.
Make the shortcakes:
- Whisk together the flour, the rest of the granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Slice the cold butter into small cubes. Stir the butter cubes to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the dry ingredients so that the mixture looks coarse. If any large pieces remain, use your fingers to squeeze and flatten them.
- Add in the half-and-half and use a spoon to toss and combine the mixture.
- Dust a work surface with flour and pour out the flour-butter mixture. Sprinkle the top with a bit more of flour and knead by hand for just 2 or 3 minutes until it has just come together into a dough (add a sprinkle more flour to the work surface or dough to keep it from getting too sticky.)
- Roll the dough out to a ½-inch thickness. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut circles from the dough. (If you don't have a cookie cutter this small, look around your kitchen: measure the lid from a large spice bottle or top of a glass bottle and you'll probably find one that's 2 inches. If not, draw a 2-inch circle on a piece of parchment paper, cut it out and use it as a template.)
- Place the shortcake dough circles on the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Pop the tray in the fridge for 10 minutes to chill the dough circles.
- Bake them in the preheated oven for 8-9 minutes, until they are puffed and just beginning to brown. Remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Assemble the desserts:
- Place one shortcake round in the bottom of each mason jar. If the shortcakes are a little too big to fit in the jar, use your cookie cutter or a sharp knife to trim a little off the outside.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the macerated berries including some of the sugary juices to each jar. Top the berries with about 1 tablespoon of whipped cream (eyeball it if you're using spray whipped cream from a can.)
- Place another shortcake round on top of the cream, top with 2 more tablespoons of berries and juices. Finish the top of the mason jar desserts with a generous dollop (or squirt) of whipped cream. Add the berries you held aside to the tops to make them look even prettier!
- Serve immediately. The berries and cream shortcakes may also be assembled and refrigerated for up to an hour before serving. Makes 6 servings.
To make your own sweetened whipped cream:
- Chill a bowl and whisk attachment for your mixer in the freezer for 10 minutes, then assemble them on your mixer. Pour in 1½ cups of heavy whipping cream and turn the mixer on high.
- Whip the cream for a minute or two, then add in ¼ cup of confectioner's sugar. Continue whipping the cream on high speed for another 2-4 minutes until it is thick and has peaks. Use the whipped cream immediately or keep it covered in the fridge until you need it.
Notes
- Make-ahead options. The mason jar desserts should be assembled no more than an hour before serving, but here are two things you can do ahead of time: you can bake the shortcake rounds up to three days in advance. If you are making your own whipped cream you can do this a day in advance.
Pat Boucher
Love your super delicious and easy recipes. Thank you!
Nancy Mock
Thank you Pat! I’m so happy to hear your feedback!
Nancy Mock
I want to make some of the flavors from my past posts, plus a couple of ideas I've had recently. Maybe I can check your book too!
The Armchair Squid
Looks lovely. Excellent use of all that fruit.
As soon as there's some freezer room, I'm starting Operation Ice Cream...
Nancy Mock
Yesss, ice cream! I bought a new ice cream maker. We'll have to do a team-up!
armchairsquid
Do you have a book? I will be using The Perfect Scoop.