It’s a hot mid-summer day. Peaches are ripe, and strawberries are fragrant. I wouldn’t mind a sweet Paleo treat as long as it helps cool me down. What could be more delicious than an enchanting hibiscus sauce with shortcake, fruit, and Coconut Whipped Cream?
For thousands of years, Egyptians have enjoyed cooling hibiscus 
tea as a body “refrigerant” to help maintain low body temperatures in the desert. Hibiscus flowers are high-antioxidant free radical scavengers that help to balance the nervous system and regulate blood pressure. They’re considered a brain tonic with aphrodisiac properties, an unexpected bonus! In Chinese medicine, hibiscus is used to clear heat and remove toxins. You can enjoy this sweet treat without any guilt – it won’t destabilize your blood sugar one bit if you use one of the zero-glycemic sweeteners suggested. The grain-free shortbread can be frozen in a BPA-free container up to 3 months for later use. A food processor is helpful, but not required. Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 recipe Instant Coconut Whipped Cream
- Shortcakes:
- 1 cup almond meal or flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot flour (Or substitute almond meal)
- 1/4 cup sweetener such as Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or 2 teaspoons PureLo Lo Han Sweetener by Swanson, or 3 tablespoons raw honey, or your favorite sweetener.
- 1/2 teaspoon unprocessed salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2/3 cup (151 grams) coconut butter (If mixing by hand. Soften the coconut butter first by placing the container into a jar of warm water, or placing the coconut butter in the oven very briefly.)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Fruit:
- 5 ripe peaches, sliced very thin
- 12 strawberries, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Hibiscus Sauce:
- 1/3 cup dry hibiscus flowers, or 4 hibiscus tea bags, such as Red Zinger or Raspberry Zinger Tea
- 1 cup sweetener to taste such as Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or 2 2/3 tablespoons PureLo Lo Han Sweetener by Swanson, or 3/4 cup raw honey, or your favorite sweetener.
- Dash vanilla
- 6 strawberries, chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the Instant Coconut Whipped Cream
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the shortcakes: In a food processor or large mixing bowl, mix together the almond flour, arrowroot, sweetener, salt, and baking soda.
- Add coconut butter and mix well.
- Add egg and vinegar. Mix again briefly.
- Roll the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper to about 1/2 inch thick. Use a round 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, or any round object to cut the biscuits, putting them on the baking sheet.
- Bake 13 to 15 minutes until just barely golden. Remove from the oven before they get crispy and hard. You need them to be slightly soft to slice. Allow them to cool for 15 minutes, then slice them in half crossways with a sharp serrated knife.
- Prepare the fruit: Put peaches and strawberries in a mixing bowl. Stir lemon juice into them and set aside.
- For the Sauce: Make a very strong hibiscus tea, and allow it to steep in boiling water for 5-10 minutes.
- Then remove the hibiscus leaves (or tea bags). Stir in the sweetener, vanilla, and chopped strawberries. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down very low, and simmer for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Pour into a serving pitcher.
- Assemble shortcakes: There are a hundred ways to assemble a shortcake – here’s my favorite: Get out individual serving plates. Place the bottom half of a shortcake on each plate. Spoon strawberries and peaches on them. Add a dollop of Instant Coconut Whipped Cream on each one, and cover with the top half of the shortcake. Decorate the top with more coconut whipped cream and a few strawberry pieces. Drizzle the hibiscus sauce generously over everything, and serve! Wow…
