TWD: Madeleines

Madeleineshave been an enigma to me. I have still have only ever had the ones that I have made for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie as chosen by Tara of Smells Like Home. I did cave and go buy a pan though, and I'm glad I did. Even though these were kind of floppity-flops in the "bump" department and they overflowed and spread too much, they still tasted awesome and they were fun to make. So, I'm glad I bit the bullet and invested in a pan. I will now commence the trial and error of finding the "best" madeleine recipe for me that will combine what I like to think of as the madeleine trifecta - taste (which seems to be the easiest of the three), shell/scallop definition and the ever elusive bump.

Don't forget to see what all the other TWDer's have been up to this week!

On another note, I wanted to say thank you again to everyone who voted for me for the Tuesdays with Dorie "Our Secret Ingredient" for the Peanut Butter Torte - or really in my case, the candy bars. You all rock! I'm thrilled that you liked what I made and I really, really appreciate the extra bit of "love." Did I mention that you all rock?! Congratulations to Peabody and Donna for being Secret Ingredients too! You are all so amazing!

Also, I wanted to announce that I am very excited that I will now be publishing baking articles over at Blake Makes with the talented group of "Blake Bakers." Tomorrow will by my first post as a Blake Baker and I can't wait to hear what you all think! Make sure to check out Blake Makes every Wednesdays to see what the other Blake Bakers are up to! Also, I wanted to say thank you again to Blake for this opportunity. Now, for my post tomorrow here is a sneak preview - for all the details, you'll need to make sure to check out Blake's blog tomorrow and every Wednesday to find out the Blake Bakers are up to!

In the meantime, here is Dorie's recipe for the Traditional Madeleines (she has several other versions in Baking: From My Home to Yours). The link above though has a picture of Dorie's Madeleines as well.

Traditional Madeleines
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
½ cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Working in a mixer bowl, or in a large bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the eggs to the bowl. Working with the whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until pale, thick and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With a rubber spatula, very gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours, or for up to 2 days. This long chill period will help the batter form the hump that is characteristic of madeleines. (For convenience, you can spoon the batter into the madeleine molds, cover and refrigerate, then bake the cookies directly from the fridge; see below for instructions on prepping the pans.)

GETTING READY TO BAKE:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter 12 full-size madeleine molds, or up to 36 mini madeleine molds, dust the insides with flour and tap out the excess. Or, if you have a nonstick pan (or pans), give it a light coating of vegetable cooking spray. If you have a silicone pan, no prep is needed. Place the pan(s) on a baking sheet.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each one almost to the top. Don't worry about spreading the batter evenly, the oven's heat will take care of that. Bake large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, and minis for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden and the tops spring back when touched. Remove the pan(s) from the oven and release the madeleines from the molds by rapping the edge of the pan against the counter. Gently pry any recalcitrant madeleines from the pan using your fingers or a butter knife. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to just warm or to room temperature.

If you are making minis and have more batter, bake the next batch(es), making certain that you cool, then properly prepare the pan(s) before baking.

Just before serving, dust the madeleines with confectioners' sugar.

makes 12 large or 36 mini cookies

serving: Serve the cookies when they are only slightly warm or when they reach room temperature, with tea or espresso.

storing: Although the batter can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, the madeleines should be eaten soon after they are made. You can keep them overnight in a sealed container, but they really are better on day 1. If you must store them, wrap them airtight and freeze them; they'll keep for up to 2 months.

Other Tuesdays with Dorie:
Florida Pie
Peanut Butter Torte (& Bars)
Fluted Polenta & Ricotta Cake
Bill's Big Carrot Cake
Marshmallows - Dark & White Chocolate