Lemons + Anchovies

Chocolate Madeleines

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“I really shouldn’t have any of your black tea–it’s too strong.  It made me feel bad when I had some yesterday.”

It was Sunday–we had just returned from lunch and I was taking orders for an afternoon pick-me-up.  I admit that I am partial to strong black tea most of the time but I just smiled at his comment as if to say, “yes, dear”.  I didn’t have the heart to tell my husband that all he had was about a half cup of my tea and I drowned it in milk–hardly enough to give him a caffeine-induced headache.  Could he really have forgotten that he polished off most of these plump madeleines between sips of that “strong black tea”?  What I’ve learned after a dozen years together is that some things are better left unsaid.

 

 

He did so well resisting the madeleines at first. He is desperately trying to lose eight pounds and I’m not exactly helping matters by keeping sweets around the house (let’s face it, it’s not helping me either).  He turned them down and ate a banana instead.  But he only lasted a half hour, poor guy.  I prepared my cup of tea  and left the kitchen for just a few minutes.  By the time I returned half my tea was gone and so were most of the madeleines.  I walked into the kitchen to hear him say, “These are too easy to eat.”

 

 

These chocolate madeleines from Pierre Hermé are indeed easy to eat.  They are much plumper than other madeleines I see in stores and a lot more moist.  An overnight chill of the batter ensures the characteristic rise of these classic French tea cakes (or are they cookies?) and while you may be tempted to skip this step altogether, I highly recommend it.  The recipe called for lemon zest and while I used it, I did not taste it in the finished product at all.  What you do taste is rich, chocolatey goodness.  These madeleines are perfect with afternoon tea, but please don’t get carried away like my husband.  Two or three will suffice for a satisfying chocolate fix.

 

 

5 from 9 votes
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Chocolate Madeleines

Don't let the overnight chill time discourage you from trying these madeleines. These chocolatey, plump, moist tea cakes are worth the wait.
Author Lemons and Anchovies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon 70 grams all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
  • 1/3 cup plus two tablespoons 90 grams sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • Grated zest of 1/4 lemon optional
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 6 1/2 tablespoons 3 1/4 ounces; 100 grams unsalted butter, room temperature

Instructions

  1. Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder and set aside. If using the lemon zest, combine the sugar, salt and lemon zest in another bowl and rub the ingredients together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist, grainy and aromatic.
  2. Using a whisk, beat the eggs with the lemon-sugar mixture until blended. Squish the butter through your fingers and add to the bowl. You will be left with little clumps of butter in the mixture--this is okay. Beat in the butter with the whisk until it is evenly distributed. Whisk in the sifted flour mixture just until the flour is incorporated and mixture is smooth. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and chill overnight. If you can't wait overnight, chill the batter for at least an hour before baking.
  3. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a 12-mold madeleine pan then dust it with flour (even if you are using a nonstick pan) and tap out the excess.
  4. Divide the batter evenly among the madeleine molds--you don't have to worry about spreading the batter on the molds, the heat will do that for you. Place the pan in the oven and use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door slightly ajar. Immediately turn down the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake the cookies for 13 - 15 minutes, or until the cookies are domed and spring back when pressed lightly. Unmold the cookies and transfer them to a rack to cool to room temperature.

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, Sweet Treats Tagged With: , ,

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Comments

  4. Lisa { AuthenticSuburbanGourmet } says

    Stunning! Literally got out of work tonight at 10pm – long day, then I click on your divine madelines and soooooo wish I had a few right now to eat, Instead I am having bailey’s on the rocks to unwind from a stressful day. Beautiful photos Jean – your photos are just stunning! 🙂

    Reply

    • lemonsandanchovies says

      Maureen, thanks so much! I can’t even take any credit–these were so easy to make. Now I’m obsessed with them–trying to figure out the next flavor! 🙂

      Reply

    • lemonsandanchovies says

      Angela, thanks so much! This is actually fencing material from Home Depot that comes in 5 or 6 ft lengths that I had cut down to 2 1/2 feet each and painted. For easy storage, I didn’t even nail them together–I just numbered the pieces and set them side-by-side the same way each time. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  15. Kiri W. says

    Mmmm, these look absolutely fabulous! 🙂 I adore madeleines, they make me think of my childhood (perks of growing up in Europe!) and as always, your photos are simply stunning.

    Reply

  19. Cucina49 says

    My husband has your same love of strong black tea–and I, like your husband, cannot stomach it. Those madeleines are gorgeous, and a nice change of pace from the usual lemon ones.

    Reply

  21. Patty says

    I’ll take a bag of these for the plane,lol! Just had to come by to check out your chocolate madeleines, they really are more like petite cakes than cookies;-)

    Reply

  27. Faith says

    Lol, you are right, some things are better left unsaid. 🙂

    Loved reading this post. I’ve never made Madeleines but now I’m tempted to. They really do look like the perfect compliment to an afternoon cup of tea!

    Reply

  31. Judy | Bebe Love Okazu says

    Hi Jean, I love how you bake all the things that I never have the courage to bake, but love to eat! I just pop over here and let my tummy rumble. LOL. I empathize with your husband… I wouldn’t be able to resist these either! Your photos are so beautiful. You’ve inspired me to make the effort to at least try and take better photos myself. My resolution: take more time and stop hastily taking photos with my iPhone before we eat. 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration! Have a lovely weekend.

    Reply

  32. Lora @cakeduchess says

    Your photos are so delicate and pretty. The Madeleines would be just right for an afternoon tea break. I agree that some things are better left unsaid;) A sweet post and story to go along with delicious tea cakes:)

    Reply

    • lemonsandanchovies says

      Hi, Laura. I waited so long to buy one but I’m so glad I have one now. Go and buy one–you’ll love it! 🙂

      Reply

  38. Patricia A. Larkin says

    I’ve never made Madeleines but in seeing your luscious chocolate recipe In going to try them this weekend with a pan that was given to me but never used. If you see this and can answer it I have one question. Do you do all the whisking by hand? If I don’t hear back I’ll do it by hand. I’m also going to dip the ends in a little dark chocolate and sprinkle with crushed pistachios.

    Reply

    • Jean says

      Hi, Patricia. Apologies if my reply comes too late but yes, I do this by hand. It’s really very easy as there’s not a whole lot of dough. If you search through my blog you will see quite a few, more recent madeleine recipes (two in late 2018) with tips on how to get the best rise. Hope your madeleines turned out well.

      Reply

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