Honey Madeleine Cookies

You gotta give it to the French to dress up something simple and make it sexy :). They have it in them you know..And they give them these enchanting names...that makes them feel so elegant. Give them a simple sponge cake, they make up a fancy cake tin to bake it in, call it a 'Madeleine'. It comes out in a cute little shell shape,that makes it fancy. And Romantic too :)

I first had this classic French sweet at a potluck from one of my friends. I had seen them being sold in the bakery section of the grocery store, but they are always almost outrageously overpriced. I figured I would make them on my own and checked out some recipes. They were pretty simple. I got two madeleine pans - a regular one and a mini one. Its quite an easy batter to make and you can let it sit a couple of hours. Its a simple cookie/cake that is easy to make, and that which gets you rave reviews. This makes it the perfect special treat, and also perfect to serve when you have company.

This particular recipe is from 'The Best Recipes in the World' by Mark Bittman. This will be entry for IHCC - June Potluck. Also, this is my entry to Monthly Mingle - Special Sweet Treats. Monthly Mingle is a monthly(duh!) event started by Meeta of Whats for Lunch Honey. I am also sending this to the Weekly Bake Off Event by Champa of the Versatile Kitchen.

In case, you have never seen how a madeleine pan looks, heres a peek.

Mix together the flour and salt, along with the almonds. Beat the eggs, honey and sugar together until very thick and doubled in volume. The mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beater blade. Stir in the vanilla. Gently and gradually, fold the flour and almond mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Gently stir in the melted butter. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour, or longer. The longer you refrigerate it the better. I set it in for about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter the madeleine tin. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the batter in the molds. Bake for 11 to 15 minutes, until the madelines are golden and springy to the touch. Serve warm.

Note: The recipe said it makes 12 regular madeleines, but it made 13 regular + 20 mini madeleines for me.

Verdict: Absolutely divine! Spongy and soft, airy and light. I don't know why they refer to Madeleines as cookies...they most definitely didn't fit the cookie category to me. I wolfed down half the batch and had to literally move away from the kitchen to stop myself from eating more. :) And....it is true that they taste best when they are warm.

Sending these to the '13th Mediterranean Cooking Event - France'.