They turned out pretty well, I think!
Usually when I make a recipe for my bake-a-long group, I tell myself after the fact that I should have halved it, because the recipe always makes more than the DH and I should really eat by ourselves. However, for today’s recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking Chez Moi, I actually quadrupled the amounts! Instead of only making 12, I shall made 48. Why? I’m going to send them into the office with the DH, although I expect perhaps only 45 or so shall actually make it out the door. I mean really, two madeleines for me, and one for the DH, I think that’s fair, right?
The ingredient quantities weren’t the only things I changed up. Dorie had said to rub the sugar with lemon zest, but of course, I forgot to get lemons, and the clementines I was planning on using as a substitute had disappeared into the fruit salad that the DH packed for his lunch. So I left out the lemon zest. Instead of Lemon Madeleines, I’m making Lemon-Glazed Madeleines, because I do have lemon juice in the fridge.
And then as per usual when making these recipes, I realized I was low on one key ingredient. In this case, it was baking powder. But I know that you can make your own baking powder from cream of tartar and baking soda, so that’s what I did. It’s a two to one ratio, so I mixed 2 tbsp. of cream of tartar and one tbsp. of baking soda, and then used the appropriate amount in the recipe (x 4, of course!)
By the way, when multiplying this recipe by 4, the amounts really start to add up. Two cups of butter, eight eggs…that’s some rich batter, yo!
The recipe itself is really quick and easy, but there’s a lot of chilling time needed. Time to chill the batter and time to chill the batter IN the madeleine tray. I guess that’s a good thing; it means I have time to do the dishes! Or I could just cut down on the chilling time. The chilling makes the “bosse” (the ‘hump’) on the madeleines bigger, and that’s the fashion. Not sure why, as I don’t think it adds to the aesthetics, but maybe it makes it fluffier? If you know, let me know in the comments!
I had read on the bake-a-long group website, that it was best to underfill the mould slightly, so that when the batter baked, it didn’t overflow the pan and ruin the line of the cookie. So that’s what I did!
Once baked, I covered them in the glaze and popped them back in the oven to melt and sort of ‘set’ the glaze.
My humps, my humps, my lovely little bumps…er, bosse! (with apologies to the Black-Eyed Peas).
The result? My first impression is that they’re like little cakes! Buttery, and eggy, and…cake-like. Nice, and I can see why Proust enjoyed them, but not absolutely knock-your-socks-off amazing. That, I would say, is the purview of the grapefruit creameaux from the last recipe! Still, they’re a lovely little treat, and rather nice for a coffee break. I hope the DH’s coworkers enjoy them too!
Next Post: My Oma’s Crepes, with ham. Because we still have ham. So much ham. Did I mention I’m a vegetarian?
I agree that madeleines are not really knock your socks off cookies but they are nice little treats to eat.
Exactly! Especially for breakfast. Not that I would know anything about that.
Delicious Margaret. The DH’s colleagues thank you for this, past, and future treats
Yay! Glad you liked them!
Delicious! These have created in-fighting at the office as people scramble to claim the share of those who are out of the office today! Just the right amount of lemon. Thank you Margaret!
Success! *fist pump* I mean, I’m glad you like them.
Agree, they didn’t knock my socks off. Wish I had been able to share the ones I made with work, but was home sick and they definitely don’t keep much more past the first day. I do love the cute bump and they look much better with glaze. Glad you were able to make adaptations for a successful result.
Aren’t you nice to make a quadruple batch! And you got such perfect bumps
Thanks! I WAS very proud of my bumps!
That’s a ton of Madeleines! And that’s never a problem!
Perfect bumps! Sounds like they were a big hit with the recipients.
They may not be the be-all end-all, but if someone has a plate hanging around, I am not complaining!
They look good.
they look perfect! I’m sure they were a coffee break hit at your husband’s office!
Thanks! I think they did indeed like them, which made me very happy!
Lovely, and you even made the bumps. Mine did
not work out with a bump, but were delicious just the same.
Thanks, Nana! I actually didn’t bother with the whole chill the batter then chill the batter in the pan. I chilled the batter for about half the time, and then stuck the batter in the tray and stuck the tray in the freezer for half an hour. Seemed to work for me! (Patience when cooking is not my strong suit, can you tell? *grin*)
Your madeleines have very nice humps! That is so wonderful of you to make extra for your DH’s office. We enjoyed these madeleines that I’m wishing there were more!
Beautiful job on your Madeleines..love baking along with everyone and learning from all the baker’s experiences.
I really enjoyed the recipe but will tweak it a little next time …and there will be a next time
Lovely! Yours are so pretty.
Your madeleines turned out perfect with the changes you made! I agree, not knock your socks off – I was hoping for a bit more of a lemony kick. Still a nice little treat.