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Aug 02, 2023

Blondies, cookies and s’mores: Cupcake Jemma’s easy sweet summer treats

Strawberry shortcake blondies. Peach and almond cookies. S’mores ice-cream. What more need we say? Brownies are great, obviously, but in summer, for me, it’s all about blondies. Less rich than their

Strawberry shortcake blondies. Peach and almond cookies. S’mores ice-cream. What more need we say?

Brownies are great, obviously, but in summer, for me, it’s all about blondies. Less rich than their older sibling, they still have the fudgy texture of a brownie and are hugely versatile. At Crumbs & Doilies, we are always developing new blondie flavours, transforming them with fillings and toppings.

Prep 15 minCook 2 hrChill 2 hrMakes 1 x 23cm blondie, to get 16 pieces

For the strawberries400g strawberries, washed, hulled and halved15g caster sugar

For the pie crumb110g plain flour20g caster sugarA pinch of sea salt60g unsalted butter, melted and left to cool a little

For the blondie150g unsalted butter335g soft light brown sugar3 large eggs1 tsp vanilla extract270g plain flour, sifted¼ tsp baking powder¼ tsp sea salt150g white chocolate chips10g freeze-dried strawberry bits (optional)3-4 strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced, to decorate

Heat the oven to 170C (150C fan)/335F/gas 3. Toss the strawberries in the sugar, spread out on an oven tray and roast for 35-40 minutes. Strain off as much of the resulting syrup as possible (save it for a summery cordial) and leave the fruit to cool.

Turn up the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5, line an oven tray, and grease and line a 23cm loose-bottomed tin with greaseproof paper.

In a small bowl, fork together all the pie crumb ingredients and a teaspoon of cold water until it starts clumping together, then, with your fingers, scoop up the clumps and gently break apart any big ones. Keep scooping up the nuggets and gently rolling them through your fingers until you have lots of little round balls of dough in various sizes – this should take a couple of minutes. Spread out on the lined oven tray, bake for 10-12 minutes, until slightly golden, then remove and leave to cool.

Brown the butter in a saucepan on a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it’s melted, golden and has toasty brown flecks at the bottom. Leave to cool a little.

Whisk the browned butter and sugar in a bowl for a few seconds until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla, whisk briefly, then add the flour, baking powder and salt. Swap the whisk for a rubber spatula, and fold in until mostly combined. Gently fold in the white chocolate, freeze-dried strawberries, if using, and 100g of the pie crumb, until everything is evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Spread half the batter evenly in the base of the tin, then cover with the roast strawberries. Top with the remaining batter and spread it out, taking care not to displace the strawberries. Arrange the sliced strawberries on top and scatter over the remaining pie crumb. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden and a skewer comes out with a little batter on it. As with all blondies, under is better than over! Leave to cool, then chill for at least two hours before slicing and serving.

This is the lovechild of a soft amaretti biscuit and a thumbprint cookie – it’s easy, naturally gluten-free and absolutely delicious. Mix things up and use lemon curd or even jam, though I love the fragrant, creamy wobbliness of peach curd.

Prep 10 minChill 1 hrCook 1 hrMakes 12 cookies (plus leftover curd for your toast!)

For the peach curd55g ripe peach, stoned, quartered and peeled10g concentrated peach syrup (optional)50g caster sugar1 large egg, plus 3 yolks50g unsalted butter, fridge-cold and cubed

For the almond cookies75g unsalted butter60g caster sugar1 large egg⅛ tsp almond extract240g ground almonds¼ tsp baking powder1¼ tsp sea salt30g icing sugar, sifted

Bring a thumb or two of water to a simmer in a saucepan. Meanwhile, blitz the peach in a high-speed blender until smooth. In a heatproof bowl, briefly whisk the peach, peach syrup, if using, sugar, egg and egg yolks, then put the bowl on top of the saucepan. Heat, whisking constantly, for five to eight minutes, until the mixture turns quite thick, then take off the heat and beat in the butter. Sieve immediately into a container, cover the surface with clingfilm to stop a skin forming, leave to cool, then refrigerate.

Melt the butter for the cookies in a pan on a medium heat, stirring often, until it turns a lovely golden colour with lots of brown flecks, then leave to cool for a few minutes.

Whisk the browned butter and sugar, then add the egg and almond extract, and whisk again briefly. Fold in the ground almonds, baking powder and salt. This is quite a wet dough, so chill it for an hour to firm up, to make it easier to handle.

Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5 and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Roll 25g pieces of dough into balls, then roll them one by one in the icing sugar. Arrange on the lined tray, spacing them apart, then use a floured teaspoon measure to make an indent in the centre of each ball and to spread out the dough a bit. Put half a teaspoon of curd in each indent, then bake for 14-16 minutes, until slightly puffed and golden. Leave to cool completely, then chill. These are delicious served from the fridge.

You couldn’t face a camping trip, but still want s’mores? This ice-cream will give you a hit of campsite nostalgia, but is better suited to eating within close proximity of a TV, sofa and a warm shower.

Prep 10 minCool 2 hr +Cook 45 minFreeze 4 hr +Makes About 1 litre

150g caster sugar4 egg yolks300ml cream550g whole milk1 tsp vanilla extractA pinch of sea salt2-3 giant marshmallows, cut into chunks (or 6-8 regular ones left whole)50g milk chocolate digestives, broken into small pieces30g dark chocolate, melted

Whisk the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until pale. In a saucepan, heat the cream, milk, vanilla and salt until steaming but not boiling. Take off the heat and, whisking constantly, slowly ladle a third on to the eggs. Repeat twice more, then tip everything back in the pan. On a low heat, stir constantly with a whisk until the mix is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, then pour into a container. Cover the surface with clingfilm to prevent a skin from forming, leave to cool, then chill for at least two hours, and preferably overnight.

Lay the marshmallows dusty side down and spaced apart on a nonstick baking sheet, then toast them all over with a blowtorch or under a hot grill for a few seconds. Leave to cool.

If you have an ice-cream machine, churn the custard according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If not, pour the custard into a medium roasting tray and freeze for an hour. Give it a quick whisk, making sure you scrape the coldest bits from the sides and incorporating them, freeze again for 30 minutes, then repeat two or three times more, until it’s lovely and thick.

Spread a third of the ice-cream in the base of a container, sprinkle a third of the broken biscuits on top and dot a few sticky bits of marshmallow in between. Drizzle over some melted chocolate, then repeat the layers until you’ve used everything up. Freeze for a couple of hours to set completely.

Jemma Wilson is owner of Crumbs & Doilies, and the author of Crumbs & Doilies, published by Michael Joseph at £20. To order a copy for £17.60, go to guardianbookshop.com