Meet Madeleine, the cutest mini-cake ever invented in France in the middle of the 18th century; soft like a sponge and with a hint of orange, this is the best excuse to have something sweet with your tea or coffee. I was so excited when I found a tray at the store that had madeleine forms (and other ones, like hearts and teddy bears- but that’s another story); the only downside it was that I had so much work, I couldn’t play with it for at least 2 weeks… BUT now, having no real responsibilities (that I care of), I started a bake off challenge! I only hope the fridge and my stomach could keep up with my pace.
The funny thing with madeleines is that you have to add the butter in the last moment; usually you would cream the sugar and butter together, but in this recipe you should mix everything before, and than add the melted fat. In order to make the dough hard-ish again, place it in the fridge for an hour before scooping it into the shapes and baking it.
Ever since I met the chocolate ganache glaze I absolutely loved adding it to everything; it is so easy to make, and it’s guaranteed to work (and you will easily remember the heavy cream-chocolate ratio). When I was younger I used to make the Dr Oetker kind of glaze, the one that you would add some water to a chocolate-like powder and it would become a paste! So freakishly easy, but not as tasty as the real deal, sadly… Anyway, if you decide to cover your madeleines in glaze than you should definitely make another little step, and that’s adding crushed peanuts on top – a total game changer! PS: little trick that I learned- dip the cookie into the glaze, then dip it in a bowl filled with crushed peanuts. That way, when you let them vent on a cooling rack, you won’t destroy the chocolate layer (and it won’t pour on the rack). Double win!
So many words for such small dessert; you got to try it to see what a little wonder this madeleine is!
The lazy bakes 