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it was a week of visiting and family, all good and wonderful things. for a house warming treat i baked a few dozen honey madeleines for dipping into tea and coffee. i am torn between what tastes yummier, tea or coffee with madeleines. sure they are meant for ladies who drink tea {they are called french tea cakes afterall}, but i can’t help but swoon after the shell shaped morsels are dunked into a fresh shot of espresso. these were enjoyed by all, including a very sweet 1 year old.

the recipe comes from stephanie alexander’s the cooks companion and is very easy to whip up. there is resting time of one hour or overnight, but nothing an extra cup of tea while you wait can’t fix.

honey madeleines

• 110g of unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 90g of plain flour
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• 1/3 cup of castor sugar
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
• a pinch of salt

divide the butter in 90g and 20g. melt 90g of the butter and honey together, and set aside to cool. sift together the flour and baking powder. mix together the eggs, castor sugar, brown sugar, vanilla and salt until well combined. a food processor or hand held electric mixer works well here. gradually add the flour mixture until combined. pour in the butter + honey mixture. mix well and leave to rest for an hour or overnight.

melt the remaining 20g of butter and brush onto the madeleine tray moulds, followed by a light dusting of plain flour. spoon the batter into madeleine tray moulds {about 2/3 full} and bake at 180C for 9 minutes, as suggested by stephanie alexander. i found i needed about double the amount, perhaps due to my crappy oven or the use of a silicone tray. i recommend making a test batch as i did earlier in the week, to test out how your tray works in your oven. you may also test out the amount of batter in each mould to see whether you like puffed or flat madeleines.

eat while warm for added bliss.