Tuesdays With Dorie: Madeleines

I am so happy that Tara of Smells Like Home chose a cookie for this week's recipe. I love baking cookies. No, no, I adore baking cookies. In my eyes they are the perfect dessert and snack food. It's not like a cake or brownie where you have to cut a piece off or a cupcake that requires special packaging if you want to take one to go. You see, cookies come in single size servings; no slicing, cutting, or silverware necessary. It's just you and that scrumptious cookie. You can have one after you meal or in between your meals. Cookies are perfect for just about every occasion and I don't think I have ever met a person who doesn't like cookies. Cookies are just perfection, plain and simple.

I was very excited when I saw that the recipe for this week was Madeleines. I have never had a madeleine and the closest I have ever come to one is at the counter as I pay for my Starbucks frapp. I had always assumed that this cookie was crunchier and denser than your regular cookie. I was wrong because this cookie was fluffy, light, and spongy. I made mine in a full size madeleine mold and I am not ashamed to say that I ate 8 of the 12 cookies. I was stunned that I ate so many of them, but I couldn't resist them. This is a cookie I definitely recommend everyone trying. And if I don't convince you, make sure to go to the Tuesdays With Dorie website and look through all of the incredible blogs, I'm sure one of those blogs will lure you.

Traditional Madeleines
Source: Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1⁄2 cup sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3⁄4 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.

Now you've been as close to one as I was before ;-)