Fourth of July Blueberry Softbakes

Happy Independence Day! These red, white, and blue biscuits are a great way to celebrate - on top of being delicious, it's a quick and easy recipe to prepare. My favorite thing about this recipe is the fact that, since it doesn't call for eggs, it can be eaten raw or baked. The raw mixture is irresistable, and I have never been able to make a batch without snacking along the way. On top of that, it fills the kitchen with the smell of cinnamon toast as it bakes - although some patients have trouble with food smells causing nausea, I found the smell of bread baking to be extremely appealing while I was going through treatment.

This recipe has not been tested on any chemo patients yet, so please share your experiences! Thanks to Catherine Atkinson, Joanna Farrow, and Valerie Barrett for this delicious recipe from The Cookie and Biscuit Bible.

A batch of Blueberry Softbakes about to be transferred to the baking sheet - so easy to just grab a spoon and snack on it!

Fourth of July Blueberry Softbakes

Prep time: < 30 min, including washing berries

Bake time: 20 min

Approx 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c flour

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 c butter, softened

• 1/4 c sugar

• 1/2 c sour cream

• scant 1 c fresh blueberries

• 1/2 c dried or semi-dried cranberries

1. Heat oven to 375F.

2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Comgine flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.

4. Rub butter into dry ingredients with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

5. Stir in sugar.

6. Stir in sour cream, then cranberries and blueberries until just combined.

7. Spoon onto baking sheet in about 10 mounds. Bake for about 20 min until golden.

Tips & Variations

• Don't try to add too many blueberries; they will tend to pop out of the biscuits.

• If the flavor isn't coming through to an uncooperative tongue, this is a great candidate for all the usual tricks - add some citrus zest or a dash of pepper, or try amping up the cinnamon.

• The dough is a good base to experiment with - try substituting different fruits, nuts, or baking chips for the blueberries and cranberries.

Blueberry Softbakes: the final product.