Madeleines

Every year, Jody Mattison has a cookie swap for her friends and co-workers like me. Bringing six dozen means coming home with about 40 different types of holiday treats. She ups the ante by giving prizes for best taste, best in show, best costume. . . Last year, inspired by my new favorite chef, Laura Calder, I went on a hunt for Madeleine pans to make these little spongecake cookies. When comparing recipes, I actually opted for Martha Stewart’s. I made another batch to take to Hickory Hill and then found another use for the pans by making savory parmesan madeleines for a Christmas dinner for Joe and Casey. The pans that keep on giving. I usually make a batch of lemon and a batch of orange and take them in a tin to the farm for Christmas.

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp coarse salt

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 T lemon or orange zest

2 T fresh lemon or orange juice

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

~ Preheat oven to 400ºF.

~ Grease two madeleine pans; set aside.

~ Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside.

~ Put eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

~ Mix on medium-high speed until pale and thickened, about 5 minutes.

~ Mix in butter. Using a spatula, fold flour mixture into egg mixture. Let rest 30 minutes.

~ Pour batter into buttered pans, filling the molds 3/4 full.

~ Bake cookies, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are crisp and golden, 7 to 8 minutes.

~ Let cookies cool slightly in pans on wire racks. Invert and unmold.

~ When completely cooled, dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.