Honey Madeleines

I love love love madeleines. Not that I would share anything I didn't love, but I've got a special little place in my heart for madeleines. Not only do they remind me of Madeline, my childhood storybook love, but they also remind me of getting the little packets of them at Starbucks as a little treat. I wasn't a connoisseur of coffee house drinks as a child, so those little packs of two madeleines were always my choice. They always seemed so fancy and special to me, and that's why I like them now too. I always love feeling fancy. It makes life more interesting.

I'm usually a subscriber to the Alton Brown school of "The only uni-tasker in my kitchen is the fire extinguisher" but I unashamedly make an exception for madeleines. Perhaps someday I'll find another use for a madeleine pan, but until then I don't mind a flip-flopper on my beliefs for the sake of a cookie.

This recipe is one I stumbled upon online, when I couldn't find my usual recipe. This one, from Daniel Boulud (he probably makes them better than me), was pretty delicious, but I'm still a fan of my usual recipe (the one that came with the Williams-Sonoma pan). I'll post it if I ever uncover it again...

Honey Madeleines
from Chef Daniel Boulud: Cooking in New York City via here

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and kept warm
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl using a wire whisk, mix the eggs, sugar, honey, brown sugar and lemon zest. Add the flour mixture and whisk just until combined. Add the melted butter, stirring just until incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (Yea, couldn't wait that long...). Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spoon the batter into the molds, filling them about two-thirds full (about 1 tbsp)

For the small madeleines, bake until the centers rise and the edges are golden brown, about 4 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking. For the large madeleines, bake for 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 350°F, rotate the pan halfway, and continue baking until the centers rise and the edges are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, invert the pan and tap it against the counter to release the madeleines. Serve the madeleines warm, dusted with confectioners’ sugar.