Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches

Sandwiching your ice cream with normal cookies is never as good as it sounds because the cookies become wayyy too hard to bite into when they're frozen. But macaron shells are truly meant to be made into a frozen sandwich treat! They freeze so well but don't become solid, so you can easily bite into them before the ice cream melts! In this version, I went for the classic chocolate-vanilla flavor combo with chocolate shells and vanilla bean ice cream. You can also browse my macaron recipes for a different flavor shell and pair them with your favorite ice cream!

For more sandwiched dessert recipes, try Peppermint Mocha Cookies, Gluten Free Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches, and Boston Cream Whoopie Pies.

Ingredient Notes

• White Vinegar: To ensure that your meringue remains stable, clean and wipe down all appliances with white vinegar.
• Powdered Sugar: You’ll need powdered sugar for the macaron shells.
• Almond Flour: Be sure to use extra fine almond flour to get those super smooth shells!
• Cocoa Powder: Use either 10g of black cocoa powder or 15g of dutch process cocoa powder. Black cocoa powder is richer, so you don't want to add too much.
• Egg Whites: You’ll need about 3 egg whites for the shells. Don’t worry about bringing them to room temperature because you’ll just heat them up over a double boiler to make a swiss meringue! 
• Granulated Sugar: The sugar is going to be added to the egg whites when making the swiss meringue for the shells. It will only take a couple minutes for the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites, so whisk frequently and watch carefully! 
• Vanilla Paste: Add a touch of vanilla paste to amplify the flavor!
• Ice cream: Use your favorite ice cream to sandwich between the shells.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and individual quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are step by step photos and instructions on how to make this macaron ice cream sandwich recipe! For the full ingredient list and method, see the recipe card at the end of this post.

STEP 1: Make the meringue. In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar, almond flour, and cocoa powder twice. Next, heat the egg whites and granulated sugar over a double boiler until the sugar has dissolved or until the temperature is about 120 degrees F.

Transfer the egg white mixture to a large bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until the meringue reaches soft peaks. At this point, you can add the vanilla paste. Continue whisking the meringue until stiff peaks form. The best way to test if it is ready is by turning the bowl upside down. If the meringue does not fall or move at all, then it is ready.

STEP 2: Fold in dry ingredients. Once the meringue is ready, start by folding in ⅓ of the dry ingredients until mostly combined. Add the remainder of the dry ingredients, folding with the same gentle method. Once the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, begin gently spreading the mixture on the sides of the bowl to deflate it slightly. The mixture is ready when you can draw a figure eight without breaking.

STEP 3: Pipe macarons and rest. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag with a small round pipping tip (I used Ateco 802). With the macaron template placed under the parchment paper on the baking sheet, pipe at a perpendicular angle to fill in the circles. Carefully remove the template and tap the baking sheet on the counter a few times in order to release any air bubbles. It also helps to bang on the bottom of the baking sheet with your hand. Let the macarons rest for about 30-40 mintues, or until they are dry and no batter comes away when you touch them. Toward the end of the resting time, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

STEP 4: Bake and assemble. Bake the macarons for about 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet. Pair the macarons up and sandwich them with frozen disks of ice cream and serve immediately or store in the freezer until ready to serve. 

Expert Baking Tips

• The flavor of macaron shells develop more by the second day, so I recommend making them the day before and chilling them overnight, then assemble the next day. 
• If you have trouble peeling the macarons off of the parchment once they have cooled, pop them into the freezer for a few minutes and they should come off easily.  
• To make the ice cream the perfect size and shape to sandwich between the shells, I froze the ice cream in a silicone mold overnight before assembling. Once you fill it with ice cream, smooth off the top and press parchment paper up against it before freezing overnight. 

6 Essential Macaron Rules

1. Wipe down all bowls and appliances with white vinegar. This will ensure that everything is spotlessly clean and nothing will hinder the stability of the meringue. 
2. Beat the meringue until STIFF peaks form. The best way to test this is to turn the bowl upside down to make sure that the meringue is stable enough and does not move at all. 
3. SIFT SIFT SIFT! You need to sift the powdered sugar and almond flour twice to get those smooth macaron shells!
4. Mix the batter with a silicone spatula by circling around and straight through the middle. Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated, deflate the macaron batter by spreading it against the sides of the bowl. This will ensure that the shells do not come out hollow.
5. Test the consistency of the batter frequently by drawing a figure eight with the silicone spatula. You should be able to draw a figure eight a few times in a row without the batter breaking. This is how you know the batter is ready to be piped onto a baking sheet. 
6. Allow the macarons to rest long enough before going into the oven. I would recommend 30-40 minutes of rest time before baking. As they rest, a skin forms on the surface, which is what forces the macarons to bake upwards and grow feet!

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed with gram measurements so you can easily recreate them in your own kitchen with success. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), you can make these recipes accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x