Madeleines

Madeleines and I go way back. I was first swoon by the delicate treat in high school, spending my spares at an uptown Toronto café called La Bamboche. I was amazed by the consistently soft texture and perfectly sweet taste. Dunking them in my coffee was a must.

Fast forward to life in quarantine, I found myself browsing online for new baking recipes when the plump pastry appeared on my screen. All I needed was a specialty Madeleine baking pan (ordered and delivered within 3 days) and a few standard ingredients.

I was surprised by the short bake time (only 7 minutes!) but unsurprised by my continued love for these pastries. I also spun some of my Italian heritage into this French delicacy by dipping a few of them in Nutella. Heaven!

Plus, they’re the kind of cookies you can enjoy any time of day — breakfast with your coffee, an afternoon pick-me-up snack, or a light dessert after dinner. Or, if you’re like me, all of the above.

Prep time | 10 mins. & 1-hour chill time
Bake time | 7 mins.
Serves | 12 cookies

Source: Bon Appétit

INGREDIENTS 

  • 2 large eggs 
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar 
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar 
  • 2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
  • 1 tsp baking powder 
  • 1/2 tsp salt 
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus a little more for dusting the baking sheet 
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted, warm 
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS 
You can make the batter the day before and keep chilled in the fridge until ready to bake.

  1. Whisk eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar and lemon zest in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients until just incorporated, then whisk in melted butter until smooth. 
  2. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag (or reusable plastic bag) and chill for at least 1 hour. If you make the batter the day before, you can leave the batter to chill in the fridge until ready to bake.
  3. Lightly coat the madeleine baking pan with non-stick vegetable oil spray and gently dust it with flour, tapping out the flour excess. 
  4. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  5. After you let the batter chill for 1 hour in the fridge, cut a small hole in a corner of the plastic bag and pipe the batter into each mold of the pan. Fill each mold two-thirds of the way (you might have a little batter left over). 
  6. Bake for about 7-9 minutes for regular-sized madeleines (5 minutes for small madeleines) or until the edges are golden brown and the centres are puffed and lightly spring back when pressed. 
  7. When ready, tap the pan gently against the counter to release the madeleines. Dust some powdered sugar over the madeleines and serve warm. 

    (For chocolate lovers, you can melt chocolate or Nutella in a bowl and dip the tips of the madeleines in for extra flavour. Let the chocolate or Nutella harden before serving.)