John Kanell Shares His Red, White and Blue Raspberry and Blueberry Shortcakes

John Kannell's raspberry and blueberry shortcakes prove that festive Fourth of July desserts don't have to be complicated.

"This recipe is great for Fourth of July gatherings when you’ve got a lot of things going on but want to make something delicious and easy," says the Preppy Kitchen blogger about this "no-fuss, one bowl recipe."

Kanell describes the patriotic dessert as "a lightly sweet and buttery shortcake bursting with fresh blueberries" and paired with "sweet-creamy vanilla whipped cream and juicy summer fruit."

John Kanell's Raspberry and Blueberry Shortcakes

4 cups (16 oz.) self-rising flour

¼ tsp. kosher salt

½ cup (2½ oz.) granulated sugar, divided

1 cup (8 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cubed into ¼-in. pieces

2½ cups fresh blueberries, divided

1 cup whole milk

1 large egg

3 cups fresh raspberries, divided

1½ cups heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Whisk together flour, salt and ¼ cup of the sugar in a large bowl until just combined and no clumps remain. Add butter; using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut butter into flour mixture until texture is crumbly but some larger pea-size pieces of butter remain, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently stir in 1¼ cups of the blueberries.

2. Whisk together 1 cup milk and egg in a small bowl; add to flour mixture, and stir with a fork until a crumbly dough with no dry pockets forms, adding up to 2 tablespoons more milk if needed. Scoop dough into 12 mounds (about ⅓ cup each) onto prepared pan, spacing 2 inches apart.

3. Bake in oven until puffed and golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet, about 25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, mash ½ cup of the raspberries and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a medium bowl until sugar is dissolved. Stir in remaining 2½ cups raspberries and 1¼ cup blueberries. Set aside.

5. Beat together cream, vanilla and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Split shortcakes horizontally. Spoon whipped cream onto cut side of bottoms of shortcakes; top with berry mixture and shortcake tops. Serve immediately.

Serves: 12

Active time: 25 minutes

Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Quick tip! Use berries that are on the edge of being too ripe, Kanell says. “Softer fruits release their juices more easily, creating pools of syrup for the filling and baking up nicely in the shortcake," he adds.