Gingerbread Madeleines

Name: Gingerbread Madeleines
Ingredients: ½ cup all-purpose flour; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ¼ teaspoon sea salt; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground ginger; ¼ teaspoon ground allspice (you can substitute ground cloves); ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom; 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons light brown sugar; 1 tablespoon unsulfured robust molasses (substitute mild or original molasses if you want a tamer flavor); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼ teaspoon orange zest; 1 large egg; Baking spray (you can substitute approx. 1 tablespoon melted butter to brush the pan)

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Madeleines are classic petite French sponge cakes with a whimsical scalloped shell. Gingerbread
madeleines are a festive version of these traditional dainty treats. They are lightly sweetened, filled with
warming aromatic spices, and dusted with powdered sugar. They come together easily, bake up quickly,
and are perfect with a foamy café latte, coffee, mug of milk tea, or hot chocolate. Gingerbread
madeleines are definitely one of my favorite cool-weather pastries.

Take a Madeleine Moment

Life can be challenging even at the best of times. To combat fatigue and burnout, I’ve embraced creating
simple weekly moments devoted to self-care. I keep these moments brief, ten to twenty minutes, and
intentional so they remain a sustainable practice. These moments of self-care vary but have two details
in common – I slow down and luxuriate in simple pleasures.

A few deep breaths, a comforting beverage, and a 2-5 bite treat help me to savor the act of existence.
These moments are where it’s not uncommon to find me enjoying a warm, pillowy madeleine. Because
madeleine batter can be made ahead of time and baked in minutes, they are the perfect three bite self-
care treat. Trust me when I tell you, taking a moment for a warm beverage and a fireside gingerbread
Madeleine has a contentment and charm factor of 100%!

Tips for Madeleine Perfection

You will need to invest in a madeleine pan or molds to make traditional madeleines. Madeleine bakeware is generally very affordable, usually between $15-$30 US dollars.
As with most baking endeavors, you want to make the batter using room temperature ingredients.
Use the freshest ground spices you can find. Better still, if you’re feeling artisanal, buy the freshest whole spices you can find and grind them yourself. The flavor and aroma of fresh botanical oils will yield a far superior gingerbread madeleine.
Always allow madeleine batter to rest in the refrigerator. A few hours will work but overnight is best. You want the gluten to relax, the baking powder to set up, the flavors to meld, and the signature bump to form on the top of your baked madeleines.
Madeleine batter can be kept in the refrigerator for two days or in the freezer for up to two months before baking.
For the most pleasurable eating experience and traditional warm, soft interior with crisp scalloped shell, madeleines are best served immediately after baking. They can be kept up to two days in an airtight container. However, the texture of the madeleines will become denser as they sit, losing the nuance that makes them sublime.
Many madeleine recipes call for piping the batter into the madeleine pan, but I prefer to use a small ice cream scoop. Using an ice cream scoop allows you to fill the molds more quickly and evenly with less mess. It also means the batter gets handled less. None of the filling, squishing, and warming that takes place when using a piping bag, just a scoop and a plop. I use a small ice cream scoop that is equal to 1 tablespoon/15ml/.56 oz., measures 37mm/ 1.45 inches, and is often labeled as a #60 scoop by many brands.
If your madeleines turn out dry, you’ve over baked them. This can happen quickly, so keep an eye on your madeleines as they bake. There can literally be a one- to two-minute difference between under or overbaked madeleines.
Madeleines are a great accompaniment with most of your classic café beverages, but don’t stop there. They are the perfect pairing for many other sweet treats as well. Madeleines pair beautifully with pools of crème anglaise, billowy mousses, and fruity jams and curds. I like these gingerbread madeleines with a dollop of lightly-sweetened whipped cream or white chocolate mousse.

An Interesting Madeleine Fact

The traditional bump or hump that forms on the non-scalloped side of the madeleine as it bakes is called the “pearl.” Soooo befitting and cute!