Margarita-Glazed Madeleines

I am in love with a cookie.  Her name is madeleine.

Seriously.  I have never even had madeleines before, but I was bound to love anything that had to be baked in such a beautiful pan.  Then, add the word “margarita” to the mix – I am there!  The batter was easy to put together, the cookies slid right out of the molds, the glazing process went well – it was a very fun baking project.  And oh – these cookies!  They are “lighter than air” (quick, name that TV show!), perfectly puffy, and the glaze adds just the right amount of sweetness with a nice lime flavor.  The alcohol flavor in the glaze comes through well when tasting it alone, but on the cookie, I wasn’t able to pick it out.  That certainly won’t stop me from adding it again though 😉 Now that I have made one flavor of these beautiful, delicate cookies I cannot wait to try some other variations.  Mmmm.

I am submitting this recipe to the Tasty Tools event hosted by Joelen, featuring whisks for the month of August.  I use my whisks all the time in the kitchen and find them very useful when making glazes for baked goods, so I thought this recipe would be a good submission.

Now get your booty into the kitchen and make some madeleines!  You can thank me later.

Margarita-Glazed Madeleines
Yield: 18-24 madeleines

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder (optional)

zest of one lime

½ tsp. orange zest

9 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

additional melted butter for preparing the molds

 

For the glaze:

¾ cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tbsp. tequila

1 ½ tsp. Grand Marnier (or other orange liqueur)

 

Directions:

Brush the indentations of a madeleine mold with melted butter.  Dust with flour, tap off any excess, and place in the fridge or freezer.

 

Whip the eggs, granulated sugar and salt with a stand mixer for 5 minutes until frothy and thickened.  Spoon the flour and baking powder, if using, into a sifter or mesh strainer and use a spatula to fold in the flour as you sift it over the batter.

 

Add the citrus zests to the cooled butter, then dribble the butter into the batter, a few spoonfuls at a time, while simultaneously folding to incorporate the butter.  Fold just until all the butter is incorporated.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  (Batter can be chilled for up to 12 hours.)

 

To bake the madeleines, preheat the oven to 425°.  Plop enough batter in the center of each indentation to fill it about ¾ full (approximately 2 tbsp. for a regular madeleine mold and approximately 1 ½ – 2 tsp. for a mini-madeleine mold).  Do not spread the batter.

 

Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the cakes just feel set.  While the cakes are baking, make the glaze in a small mixing bowl by whisking together the powdered sugar, lime juice, tequila and Grand Marnier until smooth.

 

Remove from the oven and tilt the madeleines out onto a cooling rack.  The moment they are cool enough to handle, dip each cake in the glaze, turning them over to make sure both sides are coated and scrape off any excess with a dull knife.  After dipping, rest each one back on the cooling rack, scalloped side up, until the cakes are cool and the glaze has firmed up. 

 

Storage: Glazed madeleines are best left uncovered, or not tightly wrapped; they are best eaten the day they are made.  They can be kept in a container for up to three days after baking, if necessary.

Source: adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride