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whole wheat drop biscuits with mixed berries and frangelico

whole wheat drop biscuits with mixed berries and frangelico | the vanilla bean blog
Usually when the school buses start making their way down my street, summer gives way and makes room for the next season. Fall has always been my favorite time of year, bringing with it the expectancy of change. This year, however, it’s as if Jacob is at the bottom of that heavenly ladder, wrestling fiercely with the angels. Summer is refusing to give up residency, and we have had week after week of sweat and fake air. Jacob wrestled the angel, and the angel was overcome*. Here’s hoping.

So since I’m here in limbo, with a foot in each season, I came up with a dessert that could be, too. Warm, whole wheat drop biscuits speak to me of cozy sweaters and thick blankets, while mixed berries and Frangelico sing of beach waves and late nights on the patio. Whipped cream, of course, works no matter what the weather.
whole wheat drop biscuits with mixed berries and frangelico | the vanilla bean blog
whole wheat drop biscuits with mixed berries and frangelico | the vanilla bean blog
frangelico | the vanilla bean blog
This sponsored post is a collaboration with Frangelico. All opinions are my own (and I honestly enjoy baking and cooking with it). You can check out Frangelico online or on Facebook.
*a line from Bullet the Blue Sky, sung by U2

Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits with Mixed Berries and Frangelico

Drop Biscuits
adapted from Kim Boyce, Good To The Grain

These biscuits can be made with more whole wheat flour if desired – you could do equal parts all purpose and whole wheat (3/4 cup of each). Much more than that, and the biscuits will be very dense. If you want these lighter, you could try substituting buttermilk for the heavy cream, although they might not hold their shape as well, and will not taste as rich. But! buried in mixed berries and whipped cream, that just might be okay.

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 325, with the oven rack in the center. Rub a baking sheet lightly with butter.

Whisk together the flours, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pour the cream in, and stir (with a fork or your hands) until the dough just comes together; do not overmix (the dough will be very shaggy).

On the baking sheet, pile the dough into six mounds, leaving 4 inches between each mound (They will literally be blob-y piles; and you will not be impressed with how they look. Have faith!) Tuck in any rough pieces of dough. Sprinkle the dough with the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar.

Bake the biscuits for 35-40 minutes, until the just begin to color on top, rotating the sheet pan halfway through baking.

Mixed Berries with Frangelico
adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

I used 1/2 cup of sugar here, which left the berries still tart. When eaten with the drop biscuits and whipped cream, I thought the flavors balanced perfectly. However,  if you’d like things a bit sweeter, you can add more sugar. I also thought 4 tablespoons of Frangelico was nice – there was a lovely undertone of hazelnut. You can, of course, add more if desired! If you are whipping your own whipped cream, you can also add a tablespoon or two of Frangelico there, for even more hazelnut flavor.

3 cups blackberries
4 cups raspberries
1/2 cup sugar (see note)
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons Frangelico (see note)

Place the blackberries in a large bowl and crush gently with a potato masher. Add the raspberries and stir together. Add the sugar, vanilla, and Frangelico, and stir gently. Let the berry mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the berries are juicy.

To assemble:
Put a good amount (about 3/4 cup) of the berry-Frangelico mixture into a large serving bowl. Nestle a warm drop biscuit in the mixture, and dollop with whipped cream or creme fraiche (if desired). Serve.
whole wheat drop biscuits with mixed berries and frangelico | the vanilla bean blog

  • Reply
    Ashlae
    Sunday, November 17, 2013 at 2:29 pm

    I love Frangelico. And drop biscuits. And you because this is seriously one of the most brilliant recipes ever.

  • Reply
    Kasey
    Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 6:40 pm

    Oh, I love me an Indian summer is my favorite, despite how much I love fall. This dessert sounds like that good middle ground 🙂

  • Reply
    Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
    Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 4:40 pm

    Yum – perfection!

  • Reply
    la domestique
    Sunday, September 15, 2013 at 6:19 am

    Autumn is my favorite time of year too, and the weather here in Ireland has decidedly turned. The bushes still have a few blackberries lingering, so I must give this lovely recipe a try soon.

  • Reply
    Emma Galloway
    Saturday, September 14, 2013 at 8:03 am

    These look super yum! While you swelter in the last of summer, we here in Aussie-land are battening down the hatches to fend off our end of winter/start of spring crazy weather storms! It’s mental down here.

  • Reply
    Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
    Friday, September 13, 2013 at 9:58 pm

    Mmmmm… delicious combo of flavors with comfort of biscuits 😉

  • Reply
    phi @PrincessTofu
    Friday, September 13, 2013 at 3:28 pm

    Love this recipe. Good to the Grain is the one cookbook that my friends are always trying to steal. I have to keep it under locks.

  • Reply
    Mallory @ Because I Like Chocolate
    Friday, September 13, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    I love Frangelico, definitely best served with chocolate though! Ooo what about making chocolate drop biscuits for this. I may try that!

  • Reply
    Katrina
    Friday, September 13, 2013 at 8:51 am

    Looooving this! Such a fabulous sweet treat!

  • Reply
    Kathryn
    Friday, September 13, 2013 at 6:31 am

    Oh yes, this is a perfect transitional kind of dessert isn’t it?

  • Reply
    Kezia
    Friday, September 13, 2013 at 2:37 am

    Summer has definitely gone in the UK; we’ve had lots of rain recently 🙁 This looks so delicious. Anything with cream and fruit is a winner for me!

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