C’est mignon et ça se mange – Mini madeleines à la tangerine et cointreau

I cannot believe it took me a month to post those. Where did the time go? I miss the days I was able to post more often and I hope that things will slow down soon.

As you know, in the US, everything is big and in France everything is small, (and no that’s not a myth). In my kitchen world, the smaller the better, so imagine the happiness when I found those super tiny silicon madeleine molds in this new boutique in Nancy, last time I was there.

First, I thought I would never use them, so why buy more kitchen gadgets that will fill up my cabinets and nothing else…then, being a bit weak and letting the temptations take over (I am only human), I bought them…and in love ever since.

Madeleines are traditional small cakes originated in Lorraine (my region) and more specifically in Commercy a small town in the Meuse “departement“. It’s a kid’s delight but everyone loves madeleines, they’re simply delicious little bites that go so well with coffee or tea. I found the base recipe (flour/eggs/butter/sugar ratio) in a small book called “Mini Madeleines” from Sandra Mahut which I like a lot. I tried other recipes and quantities but I must admit this recipe always came out perfectly.

To give you an idea of the size of those bites, they’re tiny bigger than a quarter, so very easy to gulp a dozen. You can flavor them with anything you like, green tea, lemon, orange blossom water, etc…I have been using essential oils in cooking lately and I must admit that the aroma of the essence gets addictive. The tangerine flavor enhanced by the essential oil and the final touch of Cointreau make these madeleines like drops of joy.

Ingredients for about 60-70 mini madeleines

  • 150 g (or 2/3 cup) flour
  • 120 g (or 1/2 cup) softened butter
  • 150 g (or 2/3 cup) sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbs milk
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • zest of 2 tangerines
  • a few drops of tangerine essential oil
  • 1 tsp cointreau

Preparation

Beat eggs and sugar until the mixture whitens. Gradually, add flour and baking powder. Incorporate soft butter and milk. Add zest, essential oil and cointreau. Mix well. Let the mixture cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Using mini madeleine or regular madeleine molds, fill each hole with 1 tsp of batter.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 420F for about 3-4 minutes, then decrease temperature to 356F and let cook additional 3-6 minutes. If the madeleines cook too fast and brown quickly on top, decrease temperature. When cooked, remove from oven and from molds and let them cool on a rack.