There are a lot of really good things coming out of my kitchen this weekend, and I just can’t wait to tell you about each and every one. Some of them even prompted an after work trip in Soho to hit Broadway Panhandler (yeah, yeah, I know, that’s NOHO not Soho, but who can keep up?), Crate and Barrel, and Sur La Table for special equipment.

Some women lust after shoes or clothes, or bags or makeup – heck, some teachers I know practically orgasm when they walk into the back-to-school sale at Staples. We all jonze for one type of retail therapy or another, and for me it is kitchen stores. I wander into one and drool all over the beautiful All-Clad. I make meaningful eye-contact with glorious Global knives.

And today, I hit the jackpot at Sur La Table, after striking out at the first two, as they had just received a new shipment of the exact item that I was seeking (to be revealed in a future post). And after I had that item in my hot little hands, I rationalized how I needed oh, 8 other things. When the saleswoman asked me if she could take some things off the pile I was balancing precariously, I told her that the rule is that I am not allowed to buy more than I can carry to the register (yeah, I have issues).

Yadda yadda yadda, I bought a Madeleine pan, something that I’ve wanted for a while and had been waiting for just this sort of impulse to buy.

I took the madeleine pan home, and I swear, I put it on the rack in the kitchen for another day and began working on one of the other exciting things for the weekend. But I had a little downtime as that project was baking, and I went right for Dorie Greenspan’s book, which inspired the purchase in the first place.

The madeleines are fairly straightforward, or at least, so I thought at the time. You melt some butter and wait for it to cool. You use Ms. Greenspan’s awesome technique for infusing sugar with the scent and flavor of fresh lemon zest (same as in the recipe for Blueberry Crumb Cake). You beat eggs at room temperature and the lemony-sugar together until the mixture becomes light and airy, then carefully fold in the dry ingredients, and finally, the melted butter. Then the batter goes to the fridge for a while, where it firms up to be scooped into the madeleine pan.

My only taste of madeleines is the ones you buy at Starbucks, so perhaps my expectations were fueled by fake fat and preservatives. The madeleines were delicious, light, pretty, with just the right kiss of lemon and vanilla. They were also a little too crispy on the outside, not the delicate sponges I was hoping to get, but I have a few theories about how to fix that. I’m marking these as a work in progress, which means you can expect to see future attempts back here.

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 tbsp)unsalted butter, melted and cooled

confectioner sugar, for dusting

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

working in a mixer 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, beat the sugar and eggs 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. (You can also spoon the batter into the greased and floured madeleine molds, cover and refrigerate, then bake the madeleines directly from the fridge.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400F. Butter and flour the madeleine mold and place the pan 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 the madeleines for 11-13 mins, or until they are golden and the tops spring back when touched. Remove the pan from the oven and release the madeleines from the mold by rapping the edge of the pan using your fingers or a butter knife. Transfer the madeleines 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, make certain that you cool, then properly prepare the pan before baking.

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

makes 12 large or 36 mini madeleines

note: 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 are better on day1. If you must store them, wrap them airtight and freeze them; they will keep for 2 months.

East Village Kitchen » tea cookies

Traditional Madeleines Recipe