Easy treats you can whip up with frozen berries

There is something just so summery about berries. Packed with rich antioxidants and numerous health benefits, while these fruits of summer are amazing as is, there’s a lot you can do with them to turn them into super-delicious meals that are sure to be devoured in no time. Given below is a curation of tasty treat recipes you can whip up with frozen berries that are just perfect for the hot summer days.

1. Simple Berry Compote

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh or frozen berries (1/2 strawberries, 1/2 cherries or any berries of your choice)
• 3 Tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp sugar- optional
• 1 tsp chia seeds- optional (to be added after removing from heat)

Instructions:

• Place fruit and juice in a small saucepan and bring to medium heat.
• Once bubbling, reduce heat slightly and use a wooden spoon to muddle and mash the fruit.
• Continue cooking over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, occasionally mashing fruit to combine.
• Remove from heat and transfer to a clean jar or container to cool thoroughly. Store in the fridge and reheat to serve with french toast, toasted bread, waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, and more.

2. Strawberry Biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup salted butter, frozen
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup chilled heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup chopped frozen strawberries

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 475°F. Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
• Grate frozen butter and toss it together with flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl. Chill 10 minutes.
• Make a well in the center of the butter mixture. Add the heavy cream, and stir for 10 times. Add the strawberries, and stir 5 times. (Dough will be loose and flaky.)
• Take the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead 3 to 4 times. Lightly sprinkle flour over top of dough. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 3/4-inch-thick rectangle (about 9 x 5 inches). Starting at 1 short end, fold the dough in half so short ends meet. Repeat rolling and folding procedure 4 more times.
• Roll the dough to 1-inch thickness. Cut dough with a floured 2 1/2-inch round cutter, and place on prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Brush warm biscuits with melted salted butter, and serve.

3. No-Bake Mixed Berry Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 250 grams cream cheese (remove from fridge 30 minutes before using)
• 3/4 cup powdered/icing sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla essence- optional
• 1 cup whole/whipping cream
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries/strawberries
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon corn-starch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions:

• Place a glass bowl and beaters in the freezer for approximately 20 minutes before beating the cream.
• Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter, press down on the bottom of a 7 - 8-inch (17 - 20 centimeters) cake pan lined with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator.
• Remove bowl and beaters from the freezer, beat cream until thick peaks appear, set aside.
• In a medium bowl beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.
• Fold cream cheese mixture into whipped cream until well combined. Remove cookie base from fridge, pour cheesecake filling on top of cookie base, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4-5 hours or better overnight.
• In a medium pot mix together berries, sugar, corn-starch, cinnamon, water and lemon juice, bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer until desired thickness. Pour into a bowl, let cool then refrigerate for at least a few hours.
• Top the cake with the Berry Topping and serve with ice cream. Enjoy!

4. Blueberry-Coconut Quick Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
•  1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon each baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon- optional
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 3/4 cup coconut oil
• 3 beaten eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence-optional

Instructions:

• Preheat your oven to 176 degrees C.
• In a large bowl whisk together flour,  granulated sugar, brown sugar, shredded coconut, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• Stir in frozen blueberries followed by coconut oil, beaten eggs, and 1 tablespoon vanilla essence. Transfer to a buttered loaf pan in the oven and bake until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs, (1 hour 15 minutes).

5. Berry Crumble Bars 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• finely grated zest of 1 small lemon- optional
• 1 cup butter cut into cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence-optional
• 4 1/2 cups chopped fresh berries 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• juice of 1 small lemon

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
• Line a pan with foil or parchment, and grease it butter.
• Combine granulated sugar, baking powder, flour, and salt. Add lemon zest, butter, egg, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until the butter is evenly distributed in small pieces and the mixture is crumbly.
• Dump a little more than half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Use your hand or the bottom of a measuring cup to evenly press the dough into the pan.
• Gently stir together all ingredients until well incorporated.
• Spread the filling over the crust, then crumble the remaining dough over the top of the berries.
• Bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the top is light golden brown. Carefully remove it from oven and let it cool, before cutting into squares. You can also refrigerate these, after cooling to room temp.

FAQs

Q1: How to pre-heat my Microwave?

A: You need to place a slatted rack that comes with a microwave to pre-heat it. Now, choose the convection option. Once you set it on the convection mode, your microwave’s digital display will reflect the minimum temperature setting available, you can just increase or decrease it according to your requirement and press start.

Q2: How to store berry compote?

A: You can store the berry compote in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.

Q3. What kind of biscuits can I use for making the berry cheesecake?

A. You can use any biscuit or cookies you have lying around. Digestive biscuits, Oreos, Parle-G, any biscuits you have at home will work fine.