These Mini Strawberry Shortcakes Pack Vitamin C and Fiber

Nothing says warm weather like a strawberry shortcake for dessert. With fluffy biscuits sandwiching a mouthful of whipped cream and juicy, in-season strawberries, the classic sweet treat is almost impossible to pass up. The problem with the picnic favorite? It’s usually full of fattening ingredients, like butter, heavy cream, and more servings of sugar than we need.

But strawberry shortcake doesn’t have to be totally off-limits. Our recipe uses smart ingredient swaps in the batter and filling to transform this childhood indulgence into a healthy treat. To lighten up the biscuits, we used half whole-wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. We also added just four tablespoons of unsalted butter to the entire eight-serving mix.

To amp up the flavor but not the calorie count, we replaced whipped cream with whole-milk vanilla yogurt. The tangy filling is placed atop the still-warm biscuits once they’re baked. The just-sweet-enough yogurt is satisfying thanks to it healthy fats, and also offers a hit of protein that you don’t get from heavy cream.

Finally, adding antioxidant-rich strawberries and vitamin C-packed orange juice and zest to the recipe means you get a hit of immunity-boosting nutrients too. Score.

Watch this video to see how we update traditional strawberry shortcakes into a bite-sized dessert you’ll love. Bring these poppable treats to your next BBQ, or simply whip them up at home as a quick fix for your sweet tooth (they only take 35 minutes start to finish!). At just 200 calories a serving, you won’t feel like you’re wrecking your summer body with the shortcakes.