more matcha & lemon together! i’ve been dying to revisit this combination since my loaf cake in 2024.
faithful readers will remember i am lactose intolerant and have been now for nearly a decade
in all this time, i haven’t had an ice cream sandwich but my god did i miss them
in a wonderful turn of events (for me), i’ve discovered the right magic pills that mean i can have an ice cream sandwich
what’s better than buying? making
this is my take on an ice cream sandwich, with a not-too-sweet matcha cookie, the best vanilla ice cream i can find (go big or go home), and finished with bright lemon zest (or powdered lemon)
makes about 4-6 sandwiches
ingredients
matcha cookie
57g butter, softened
80g white sugar
0.5 egg
75g plain flour
pinch baking powder
pinch salt
8g matcha powder
assembly
one pint of the best quality vanilla ice cream you can find
lemon zest (or lemon powder)
method
matcha cookie
beat together the butter (57g) and sugar (80g) until light and fluffy
stir in the egg (0.5) until combined
add the flour (75g), salt (pinch), baking powder (pinch) and matcha (8g) and stir until well combined and free of streaks
lay a piece of plastic wrap over your work surface
turn out the matcha cookie dough onto the plastic wrap
pat into a flat disc about 4mm thick
wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm enough to cut
once chilled, preheat the oven to 170C
unwrap the cookie dough and, using a glass or jar as a stencil, cut into circular cookies
note: make sure the stencil and your muffin tin (see assembly below) are about the same diameter
arrange 1 inch apart on a baking tray
bake for 10-15 minutes
let cool completely
assembly
while the matcha cookies cool, we’re going to pre-shape the ice cream filling
lay a new sheet of plastic wrap over a muffin tin
generously spoon your vanilla ice cream into the lined muffin tins, smoothing the tops to create little hockey pucks of vanilla ice cream (the exact thickness is up to you but i went for about 3cm thick)
cover and return to the freezer to freeze solid
once both cookies and ice cream are totally solid, assemble the ice cream sandwiches by placing one ice cream puck on one matcha cookie and sandwiching with the other matcha cookie
finish the edges by rolling the sandwich in lemon zest or lemon powder
repeat with the remaining cookies and ice cream
now for the hard part: wrap each ice cream sandwich in plastic wrap and leave at least overnight
this helps the cookie soften and give it that classic ice cream sandwich texture
enjoy your summer sandwich cookie!