Matcha Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches

Put the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer.

Whisk the yolks and sugar together until pale yellow.

Warm the milk and vanilla until it just lightly simmers. 

Temper the egg/sugar mixture with the milk/vanilla mixture. 

Return to the sauce pan and cook until thickened, stirring slowly and constantly. It should get to 170F.

Remove from heat. Sift the matcha into the mixture and mix well. Add the cream. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, add your chilled ice cream to your ice cream maker. Churn (stir setting) until it is the thickness of soft serve ice cream, 20-25 minutes.

Transfer to a container you can freeze, cover with parchment paper, and freeze at least 4 hours.

Add your almond meal and confectioners' sugar to a food process and mix well.

Sift your matcha into a bowl with the turbinado sugar.

Beat the egg whites until foamy. Continue to beat, slowly adding the turbinado sugar and matcha mixture until the whites form soft peaks. 

Fold the almond mixture into the egg whites in 3 batches, mixing well with a rubber spatula. It is a huge arm workout, and the batter will be thick.

You want to remove the air from the meringue by continuing to mix, and pressing the batter against the walls of your bowl. It will be ready when the batter starts to move towards the bottom of the bowl on its own. This is called slouching.

Use your 3-inch cookie cutter to draw circles on your parchment paper. I can fit 12 circles on 1 sheet, and prepare 2 sheets. You will only need 20, so it leaves room for cracking and testing readiness.

Flip your parchment upside down or place another sheet on top of it and add it to your aluminum baking sheet. Using a pastry bag, pipe your batter into the 3-inch circles. Stay inside the circles because the batter expands ~1/4 inch.

Once you finish a tray, bang the tray (hard) 4-5 times on the counter or floor to flatten the cookies and remove some of the bubbles.

Preheat to 305F.

Let your cookies rest at room temperature until the tops are dry when you touch them, 30-40 minutes. 

Bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the tray, and bake an additional 12-15 minutes. You do not want the cookies to get brown. If they begin to brown, remove them from the oven. Cool 15 minutes.

Use your cookie cutter to cut 3-inch circles out of your ice cream and slice them into your desired thickness. Place a cookie on each side. You can store in the freezer for up to 1 month.