Today’s delicious recipe comes from Mark and Jenna of Whimsy & Spice. I can’t tell you how many times I eat their delicious Brooklyn-based brownies on a regular basis so I was extremely excited to have them share one of their delectable recipes with us today. If their details for Peach Ginger Ice Cream Blondies doesn’t scream “Labor Day sweet treat” I don’t know what else does. I can’t wait to make this for AC this weekend. Thanks again to Mark and Jenna for sharing with us!
About Whimsy & Spice: Mark Sopchak has been working as a Pastry Chef in the NYC restaurant industry for over 12 years. Jenna Park has been working as an art director and designer for over 13 years. Together they run a Brooklyn confectionary called Whimsy & Spice that was founded in 2008. You can find their sweets at stores such as Dean & Deluca and Provisions in Brooklyn, and Mark is often at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene on the weekends. If you’re not in New York, you can visit them on their website and can catch them daily on their blog, sweet fine day, which chronicles culinary, family and New York City life.
CLICK HERE for the full recipe (and more images) after the jump!
Peach Ginger Ice Cream Blondies
Peach Ginger Ice Cream
1 pound perfectly ripe peaches
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
3 egg yolks
Slice the peaches into a bowl. Toss with the 1/3 cup sugar and ginger. Set aside while you prepare the custard.
Combine the milk and cream in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until almost boiling. Mix the ½ cup of sugar and the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk all of the hot milk into the yolks and sugar. Chill completely before proceeding.
While the custard is cooling, puree the sliced and marinated peaches in a blender until smooth. Mix the peach puree and custard together, then process in your ice cream maker. Freeze until ready to serve.
Blondies:
1 cup unsalted butter
1-3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking the butter until it starts to darken slightly and take on a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat. Pour the brown butter into a heatproof bowl. Thoroughly whisk in the brown sugar by hand, followed by the eggs and vanilla. Now add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into a quarter-sheet pan (9” x 13”), which has been sprayed with a non-stick spray. Spread the batter evenly and then bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes until completely cooked in the center. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan. Chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to proceed with the assembly.
Assembly
Cut the blondies into squares or other shapes of your choice. Scoop some ice cream on one piece, then top with another to make a sandwich, or just leave as is with a scoop of ice cream on top of the blondie.
Why We Chose This Recipe:
We chose this recipe because we’re staying in a little vacation cottage right now on the North Fork of Long Island and it’s peach season. We went picking that morning and decided to make ice cream. The blondie idea came about because we have this little joke about our espresso brownie scraps that are leftover from the edges of the pan after they are cut to package and sell. We call them “brownie butts” and have started to give them away to friends, many of whom have told us that they eat them topped with ice cream. Even though peaches are a quintessential summer fruit, the ginger in the ice cream combined with the brown sugar and cinnamon in the blondie tastes like a little preview of Fall.
