EAT THIS NOW: The French macaron ice cream sandwich from Cirque du Sucré

To spend a summer in Kansas City is to endure weeks of miserably oppressive, sticky, radiating heat. But there are a few perks. One of them is Cirque du Sucré’s lusciously gooey, chewy, and — if you’re doing it right — very cold French macaron ice cream sandwiches, which are generally only offered during summer months.   

The fist-sized macaron ice cream sandwiches are a treat best left to the pros; the process of making them can take up to three days. In the case of Cirque du Sucré, the steady hands belong to mother-and-daughter partners Vicki and Natasha Goellner. (Natasha also moonlights as the pastry chef at the Antler Room.) Vicki bakes the notoriously temperamental macaron shells to a lightly-crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside ideal. Natasha makes the ice cream, which comes in imaginative flavors like orange blossom (pictured), sweet corn, blueberry basil, and the “Good Morning Vietnam”(coconut, coffee, and kefir). The ice cream hardens in the freezer overnight before being cut into rings for gentle placement between two macaron shells.

From there, it’s all up to you. To that end, keep an eye on Cirque du Sucré’s Instagram account (@acirquedusucrekc) and website for when and where these treasures will be available this summer. Hot tip: Cirque du Sucre will be selling these babies at Happy Gillis (549 Gillis Street) this Saturday, June 16, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Flavors are TBA, and they’ll sell the sandwiches until they’re all gone.