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Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches

Macaron ice cream sandwiches with perfectly ruffled French macaron shells—crisp outside and chewy inside—sandwiching matching ice cream. Bake, rest, and freeze for jewel-bright French dessert style frozen sandwiches with signature feet.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
resting + freezing 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French-American
Calories: 330
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the macarons
  • 1.75 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 3 egg whites aged at room temperature
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 tsp cream of tartar
  • 0.25 gel food coloring as desired
  • 0.5 gallon ice cream matching the macaron flavor (strawberry with pink, pistachio with green, etc.)

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the macaron batter
  1. Sift powdered sugar and almond flour together, discarding large almond pieces for a smoother shell texture.
  2. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar to soft peaks, then add granulated sugar gradually and beat to stiff, glossy peaks.
  3. Fold in gel food coloring until the meringue is evenly tinted.
  4. Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue using the macaronage technique until the batter flows like lava.
Pipe, rest, and bake
  1. Pipe 1.5-inch rounds onto parchment-lined baking sheets, then bang the pan firmly to release air bubbles.
  2. Rest the piped shells for 30-60 minutes until the tops form a dry skin.
  3. Bake at 300F for 14-16 minutes until set, then cool completely.
Assemble and freeze
  1. Sandwich a generous disc of matching ice cream between two shells to create each macaron ice cream sandwich.
  2. Freeze for 2 hours, then serve straight from the freezer.

Notes

Pro tip: for the chewy, ruffled “feet” look, make sure the batter truly flows like lava before piping and let the shells rest until a dry skin forms (no tackiness when lightly touched). Store assembled sandwiches in the freezer, wrapped well, for up to 2 weeks; they do not hold quality in the fridge. Freezing is recommended—freeze unassembled shells up to 1 week, then assemble after they’re completely cool. For a gluten-free swap, use certified gluten-free almond flour and check that all ingredients are gluten-free, since macarons are naturally almond-based.