One of my favorite things to do while visiting Paris is a trip to the grocery store. My Parisian tradition is once I settle into my hotel room I usually escape to the streets to find my nearest food market. I absolutely love to peruse the aisles and rack up on my favorite treats only available in France. I love to load up on local Comté cheese (my favorite cheese), wine, chips and of course sweets. My carbohydrate overload is not complete without a bag of madeleines. There are so many varieties available to buy in Paris, but the best will always be the classic flavor.
Madeleines are one of my favorite cookies because these sweet treats somehow manage to cram being a cookie and cake into one. The soft, sponge, cake texture filled with the flavors of the best European butter make it irresistible. I honestly have been putting off trying to conquer this treat in fear that I would mess up this delicate balance of deliciousness. This year I finally built up the courage to take on the Madeleine because life is too short to not overcome a simple fear.
I had a Williams and Sonoma gift card burning a hole in my purse that I had been dying to use for something worth the cost. I bought myself a top of the line Madeleine pan and some other fabulous items as well. I was ready to make some Parisian delicacies but I then decided that I wanted these Madeleines to be unforgettable. I became inspired by another purchase I just made from Costco, Lemoncello Chocolate Almonds. I thought, " Why not incorporate these in my recipe?" Lets just say I made the right decision! These Madeleines honestly tasted like they were flown in straight from Paris or somewhere in the South of France.
These Madeleines are soft, delicate and lemony with a delicious white chocolate almond surprise in the center. I then went even further to dip these cookies in white chocolate for even more sin and sugar. I decided to decorate them with Cosmic Shimmers, Lemonade and Pineapple Skies Sprinkle Mixes for more color and pizazz.
Check out the complete step by step recipe, video and decorating video below.
Recipe (Adapted from Martha Stewart's Lemon Madeleines Recipe)
Makes 2 Dozen
White Chocolate Lemon Madeleines
Ingredients
Madelines:
1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. kosher salt
3 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
Sconza Lemoncello Chocolate Almonds (purchase here)
White Chocolate for dipping ( I used Baker's and Ghiradelli's), optional
Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In another large bowl, using a hand or stand mixer, mix together eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice on medium-high speed. Mix for approximately 5 minutes until mixture is pale and thickened. Turn speed down to low and slowly mix in the butter. Turn off the mixer and fold in the flour mixture using a spatula. Let batter rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease Madeleine pans well.
Using small ice cream scoop place batter into the center of each Madeleine shell. Place almond into the center of each scoop of batter and press down until almond is covered.
Bake cookies, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are crisp and golden brown, approximately 10 to 11 minutes. Let cookies cool slightly in pans on wire racks. Invert pans and remove madeleines. Allow madeleines to complete cool to room temperature.
Once the cookies have completely cooled dip ⅓ of the Madelines into melted white chocolate. While chocolate is still warm dust each cookie with Cosmic Shimmers and Sprinkle Mixes.
Devour and Enjoy!
