PBJ cookie ice cream sandwiches
Blackberry picking is one of our favourite British summertime traditions, but there are a few things to consider when foraging:
MAKES 8 ice cream sandwiches plus 500ml ice cream PREP 20 mins plus overnight freezing COOK 12 mins EASY ice cream only
For the ice cream
120g frozen raspberries 1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp icing sugar
½ tbsp liquid glucose (optional) ½ x 397g can condensed milk 600ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
For the cookies
200g peanut butter 50g golden caster sugar 125g light brown soft sugar 1 egg
1 For the ice cream, tip the berries into a food processor with the lemon juice, sugar and glucose, if using. Blitz until smooth. Push the raspberry purée through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Whisk the rest of the ingredients together in another bowl for 5 mins until thick, then spoon into a freezerproof container or large loaf tin. Ripple through the raspberry purée using a skewer. Cover and freeze overnight.
2 Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Line two large baking sheets with baking parchment. Mix the peanut butter and sugars together in a bowl with a large pinch of salt. Beat in the egg until you have a stiff dough. Break off cherry-tomatosized lumps of dough (you should get about 16) and arrange on the baking sheets, well spaced apart. Press the cookies down with the back of a fork. Bake for 10-12 mins until golden. Leave to cool on the sheets. Once cool, sandwich a scoop of ice cream between two cookies just before serving (you should use half the ice cream). The remaining 500ml ice cream will keep frozen for three months.
GOOD TO KNOW gluten free
PER SERVING 490 kcals • fat 35g • saturates 17g •
carbs 34g • sugars 32g • fibre 2g • protein 9g •
salt 0.3g
Don’t pick blackberries by the side of a busy road – they’ll be coated in pollution and car fumes.
Avoid any brambles that are below knee-height, where dogs may have relieved themselves. Take thick gardening gloves to prevent any thorny injuries.
A coat hanger can help you reach and pull down higher branches, which hold the juiciest berries.
Take only what you will eat, leaving a fair share for the birds and wild animals who may rely on the berries, as well as for other foragers.
How to keep the kids going during a long stroll:
Pack a hearty snack, like our fruity flapjacks (p60) to see them through to lunch. Wrap in baking parchment and string to make them feel like proper homemade energy bars.
Make sure your picnic is exciting and filling, but not so much that it will cause drowsiness. Avoid sugary snacks and instead pack a mixture of sandwiches, colourful veg and homemade dips for dunking. Save
any sweet treats, like a small cake or biscuits, for the walk back to the car or the journey home.
It’s important to stay hydrated. Fill up bottles of flavoured water (we like to add lemon, lime or orange slices to our bottles, as well as mint sprigs and strawberries) and chill overnight. The fruity water will taste and seem more interesting, but it’s equally as healthy as plain water.