The Delicate Cookies To Use For Mini Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches

Looking for a way to serve ice cream sandwiches at a party without worrying about the filling smooshing out or the cookies breaking into pieces? Try switching your regular cookies for delicate macarons to make mini gourmet ice cream sandwiches that are elegant, packed full of nutty flavor, and easy to eat neatly.

Using macaron shells as an alternative to classic cookie recipes, such as chocolate chip, peanut butter, or oatmeal and raisin, has several benefits. Firstly, macarons have a wonderfully chewy texture that beautifully complements the creaminess of a soft dairy ice cream, courtesy of their main ingredients — sweet Italian meringue featuring a sugar syrup, and almond flour. Secondly, their mini size makes them the perfect bite-sized dessert. You can eat the whole thing without leaving any leftovers behind that can't be saved for later. Moreover, macarons are the prettiest cookies ever because you can tint them with pastel food colorings. Combined with their dainty size and chewy interior, these vibrant French cookies have a gourmet flavor and inviting appearance. Better yet, macaron shells are perfect for freezing, which means you can stash a colorful batch in the freezer, and simply fill them with your preferred flavor of ice cream whenever the mood strikes for a chewy and creamy small-scale dessert.

When preparing ice cream sandwiches with regular cookies, you can simply slice your pint of ice cream (cutting straight through the packaging with a serrated knife) into perfect rounds. This technique isn't as useful when using macaron shells. They have a smaller surface area, so your slices of ice cream will simply be too big for the biscuit base to hold. The solution is to use a smaller tool, like a mini-cookie cutter, to push through the larger slice and create junior-sized discs. Alternatively, allow the ice cream to soften in the tub before using a palette knife to spread it onto the flat sides of your macarons before sandwiching them together. You could use a very small ice cream scoop or repurpose a melon baller to dole out the ice cream too. 

A clever way to elevate the gourmet flavor of your mini desserts is to dollop scrumptious fillings, such as fruit jam, ganache, curd, or nut butter, into your dreamy sandwiches before popping on their lids. Why not sprinkle a little flaky salt on the filling for a caramel style macaron to balance out its sweetness, or press either chopped nuts or chocolate chips onto their exposed sides? Whatever you do, the biggest tip for maintaining the texture of macaron ice cream sandwiches is to assemble them moments before you're ready to serve. Prepare them in advance and the ice cream will melt causing the macarons to turn mushy.