French Madeleines

Happy new year!

After a day of after-party recovery, I've resumed my place in the kitchen.
I bought some silicone madeleine molds a few months back, but have completely neglected them since then. I decided that today would be a good day to test them out...and I LOVE THEM!! Why did I even bother with madeleines before silicone molds?! Every single cookie turned out perfect! (It feels weird to call them cookies, but they're not exactly cakes, are they?)

I've found this fantastic recipe from the Laduree "Sucre" book.  What a beautiful book! Velvet bound in that signature Laduree pastel green, gold-lined pages...it even comes in a box just like their macarons! The madeleines came out golden brown around all the edges, slight crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside with a hint of lemon. I love that everything is done by hand in this recipe,... no stand mixers, no electric beaters, all you need is a metal bowl and whisk!  The only drawback is that this isn't something to make on a whim...they need to be prepared a day ahead...but well worth it!

Madeleines

(makes 40 madeleines)

Zest of 2 lemons
160 grams granulated sugar
175 grams all purpose flour
10 grams baking powder
180 grams melted butter, cooled to room temperature
4 eggs, at room temperature
35 grams honey

In a medium-size mixing bowl, sift together flour and baking powder.  Set aside for later use.  In a large mixing bowl, rub lemon zest with sugar between fingers until fragrant.  The sugar will turn a pale yellow color.

Add eggs and honey to sugar mixture.  Whisk by hand until combined.  Add flour mixture all at once. Whisk until smooth.  Finally, add cooled melted butter.  Stir until combined.  The batter will be silky and quite runny.  Cover with plastic film and refrigerate at least 12 hours.

Remove batter from refrigerator when it has chilled for at least 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 200°C.

If using tin molds, brush the insides of the shells with melted butter, making sure that all the nooks and crannies are covered. Dust with flour and tap out excess. If using silicone molds, skip this step.

Spoon batter into madeleine molds (fill the 3/4 of eash shell) and bake for 9-11 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on wire rack and unmold once cool enough to handle.

Cookies are delicious served warm with a cup of Earl Grey tea!

Adapted from  "Sucre - le livre" from Laduree.