It's a bright, sunny summer's day and ice cream seems like a really good idea. But ice cream is such a broad food; there's so many different and unique flavors. Refreshing fruit tastes right on a warm day, but what if you could pair the creamy, cold goodness with a soft, citrusy cookie. How does lemon macarons and blueberry ice cream sound?! Lemon and blueberry go together like pb & j!
Vegan Lemon Macaron Ingredients:
2 C Almond Flour
1 1/2 C Powdered Sugar
Aquafaba (chickpea water)
2 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 tsp Lemon Zest
1 tsp Vanilla
Vegan Yellow Gel Food Coloring (reach to desired saturation)
Directions:
1. Sift almond flour and powdered sugar together through a sieve in a medium bowl (repeat twice). Set aside.
2. Whisk Aquafaba in a large mixing bowl, until foamy appearance. Add lemon juice (1/2 tsp) and continue to whisk. One tablespoon at a time, add sugar at a slow pace. You want stiff peaks in your bowl (like a meringue). Add remaining lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract and yellow food coloring. Beat at a medium pace for about a minute.
3. Sift the almond flour/powdered sugar combination over the aquafaba. Fold the mixture gently. Using a rubber spatula, start clockwise from the bottom, around the sides and cut batter in half. The batter is thick at first, but after folding, it begins to get thinner. DO NOT over mix! To test batter, place a small amount and count to ten. If the sides of the ribbon dissolve in ten seconds, then it's ready. DO NOT mix again if batter is inconsistent, fold lightly a couple of times.
4. Use a round tip for your pastry bag. Transfer the batter into the pastry bag.
5. On baking sheets using parchment paper, pipe 2-inch rounds, spreading about an inch apart on the paper.
6. To get rid of air bubbles, don't bang, lightly tap the baking tray on the counter. Not committing to this step results in your shells cracking.
7. Let the macarons dry and rest for about 15-30 minutes. Touch the tops of the macarons. If batter doesn't appear on your finger (don't press, tap), it's ready to be baked in the oven (preheat oven at 300 F).
8. The macarons take about 18-20 minutes to fully bake and harden. Remove a macaron from the baking sheet, if the bottom doesn't stick, they are done.
9. Transfer to cool for 15 minutes.
Macarons are a delicate dessert to create, so practice makes perfect
Vegan Blueberry Ice Cream Ingredients:
8 C fresh or frozen Blueberries
2 C Sugar
2 Tbsp Vanilla
pinch of salt
2 C Almond Milk
2 C unsweetened Soy Milk
Directions:
Purée
1. Blend blueberries in a blender.
2. In a saucepan, add puréed blueberries and sugar. Warm until sugar dissolves.
3. Place in refrigerator until cold.
4. Mix in vanilla, salt, almond milk, soy milk and vegan whipped cream.
5. Freeze 6 hours.
Make sure macaron shells are cool, so the ice cream doesn't melt from the warmth from the oven. Gently slice macaron in half, scoop ice cream amount (how much ever you want!) and top with macaron shell. There you have it, a lemon and blueberry ice cream sandwich!