Classic Madeleines

I have wanted a Madeleine pan for ages – years even. Whenever I browse the kitchen supplies department in a store, I immediately search out a Madeleine pan. I have done this dozens and dozens of times, but I never could summon up the courage (and wallet) to pay $25 for one single cookie-pan. You can imagine my absolute joy when Cookware.com contacted me, offering a Madeleine pan! I have waited a long time for this pan to arrive in the mail, and when I finally received it, I was jumping up and down in sheer joy!! (FYI: the long arriving time has nothing to do with Cookware.com’s shipping policy; it has been in Dutch customs for weeks)



You can buy this Frieling Madeleine Pan here for only $13.95
(which, trust me, is a REAL bargain for a madeleine pan),
or you can browse Cookware.com’s products here.
So since this is my first home-made madeleines batch, I opted for a traditional recipe. The recipe comes from Dorie Greenspan’s ‘Paris Sweets’. It is adapted from Paris’ pâtisserie Lerch, who was also the creator of the Lemon Butter Cookies I made a few weeks ago. The madeleines turned out perfect. It is always tricky to prevent madeleines from forming those hunchback bulges when baking, but these were wonderfully flat, thanks to the airy batter. The madeleines did not stick to their pan at all (which most Madeleine pans do!). I flipped the pan upside-down, tapped them out and voilà! Rating: 4 out of 5.



Madeleines Classiques: adapted from pâtisserie Lerch, Dorie Greenspan - Paris Sweets
Makes 20 large madeleines

Ingredients:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (105g)
- ½ teaspoon double-acting baking powder
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar (100g)
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (70g, 2½ oz)

Instructions:
- Sift together the flour and baking powder and keep close at hand. Working with a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until they thicken and lighten in color, about 2 to 4 minutes. Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla. Switch to a large rubber spatula and gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Cover the batter with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface to create an airtight seal, and chill for at least 3 hours, preferably longer.
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If your madeleine pan is not nonstick, generously butter it, dust the insides with flour, and tap out the excess. If the pan is nonstick, yo still might want to give it an insurance coating of butter and flour. If it is silicone, do nothing. No matter what pan you have, place it on a baking sheet for easy transportability.
- Divide the batter among the molds, filling them almost to the top. Don’t worry about smoothing the batter, it will even out as it bakes.
- Bake large madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, small ones for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and golden and spring back when touched. Pull the pan from the oven and remove the cookies by either tapping the pan against the counter (the madeleines should drop out) or gently running a butter knife around the edges of the cookies. Allow the madeleines to cool on a cooling rack. They can be served ever so slightly warm or at room temperature.



“Because of the madeleine’s light texture, its warm flavor, and its
appealing shape, it is a favorite among pastry chefs”

Thanks again Cookware.com and CSN Stores!