Peanut Butter Overload on the left and a waffle cone with S'mores and Cookie Dough...courtesy of Miss Stephanie's Blackberry

From what I can remember, the building just south of Colonial Bakery on Route 35 North has always offered frozen creamy confections. It’s changed hands and monikers several times – from Mrs. Walker’s in the early 1990s (I have fond memories of digging into a cup of black raspberry ice cream while watching the launch of Nickelodeon’s SNICK during one of Mrs. W’s early summers) to a brief stint as Strawberries.

Now, Summer Sweets occupies the charming roadside bungalow-turned-scoop shop and has since 2006. On their site, the owner details her discovery of the building and admits that her dad advised knocking it down. We’re willing to forgive this statement (as well as the site’s casual use of grammar and the spelling of Lavallette) because Summer Sweets’ brightly painted walls, cartoonish ice cream cut-outs (as detailed by the authors of Ice Cream People) and cheery interior are just so doggone cute.

A recent week-night trip just before closing time left us quite satisfied with heaping cones. One of Summer Sweets’ signature flavors is Peanut Butter Overload, a delicious amalgamation of vanilla ice cream, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips and fudge. Speaking as a peanut butter afficionado, it’s just the right balance of peanut butter and chocolate (probably the holiest flavor combination the world has to offer). My brother deemed his cookie dough “delicious” and “amazing” (he’s a science major; his vocabulary’s not terribly extensive) and raved about the size of the dough chunks. His ladyfriend, our B.B. photog Steph, tried a non-fat, sugar-free concoction and said it was great. I’m still not buying it. I had my PBO (as the kids call it these days, I hear) in a fudge-dipped, sprinkle-coated sugar cone – something you don’t usually see, as the fudge/sprinkle hullabaloo is usually reserved for massive waffle cones. AJ (baby bro) had his ice cream in one such hulking cone and had to call for cup and spoon back up. He seemed to enjoy himself. Our three desserts set my generous brother back about $13. (I frequently buy him dinner, but now that his badge checking/substitute lifeguard paychecks are piling up he wanted to treat. Nice kid like that.)

In addition to the classics, Summer Sweets offers off-beat ice cream flavors like Oatmeal Cookie, Chocolate Thunder (chocolate ice cream with fudge and chocolate pieces), Cotton Candy, Shannon’s Special (chocolate ice cream, marshmallow, caramel and chocolate chips) and the custom, locally-inspired Ocean Beach (orange, pineapple and coconut ice cream with maraschino cherries).

But, don’t get bogged down in the ice cream. Truly living up to its name, Summer Sweets packs a case full of various confections – pies, cookies, brownies, cannoli, fudges of varying flavors (Butterfinger, M&M, turtle, et al) and candied apples covered in chocolate, caramel and the regular red sugar shellac.

You won’t find ice cream for breakfast here (or even lunch) but Summer Sweets stays open pretty late. Hours: Monday-Thursday: 3-10:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday: 3 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Sunday: 3-11 p.m.

Summer Sweets is located at 3071 Route 35 North, just north of Ocean Beach Unit I. For more information, call (732) 830-3444 or visit www.summersweetsnj.com.