Almond Flour Shortcakes

Preheat your oven to 425°F.

If you don't have a scale, measure the all-purpose flour by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess; do the same with the almond flour. Mix together the flours, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

Using a mixer, pastry blender, or your fingers, work the butter in until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; some larger, cranberry-sized chunks of butter can remain.

Combine the vanilla or almond extract with the cream. Add the liquid to the bowl all at once, mixing quickly and gently for about 20 seconds until you have a soft dough. If the dough doesn't come together, dribble in a bit more cream or milk until it's cohesive.

Pat the dough into a rough rectangle about 3/4" thick. Fold it into thirds like a letter and pat it (or roll gently with a floured rolling pin) into a generous 8" x 6" rectangle (for square shortcakes), or an 8" to 9" circle (for round shortcakes). Either way, the dough should be about 3/4" thick.

For perfectly shaped shortcakes, trim a very thin slice off the edge of the dough all the way around. This will allow the shortcakes to rise evenly as they bake.

Use a sharp biscuit cutter, a bench knife, or sharp knife to cut 2" shortcakes. Use the trimmed edges (and any scraps from cutting round shortcakes) to make an additional shortcake or shortcakes.

Place the shortcakes on a baking sheet; there's no need to grease the pan but for easiest cleanup, line it with parchment.

Brush the tops of the shortcakes with cream or milk, and dip them in almond flour. While optional, this step gives the shortcakes a rustic appearance and additional "toasty" flavor.

Bake the shortcakes for 18 to 20 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool slightly (or completely). When ready to serve, fill with fruit, and top with whipped cream.