Strawberry and blood orange may not be one of the first pairings that come to mind, but believe me, they complement each other perfectly. In these madeleines, not only does the glaze create a beautiful and natural pink color, but it also offers a hint of a tang to the cookie. Or is it a cake? Personally, I like to call it a petit four. And oftentimes, people claim they can be too dry or bland, but the strawberry jam helps to balance this and adds a nice surprise to anyone who enjoys these scallop-shaped delights. Great as a breakfast treat, a gift for Valentine's Day, or an addition to the tea party you've been planning ever since you finished Bridgerton. Hope you enjoy!
Also, thank you so much for all the sweet compliments on the video! And thank you for your patience in waiting for the recipe, I know it was highly requested. I said this in an earlier video, but I try to be as thorough and detailed as possible with the recipes I share, which is why it took me a day or so to get this out. Also, I will happily answer any questions you have! (By the way, the cute dachshund towel is from Anthropologie!)
Blood Orange Madeleines
Yield: 2-2 1/2 dozen cookies
Optional inclusion: Strawberry Jam
Madeleine Batter
226 g all-purpose flour
5 g baking powder
7 g salt
250 g eggs
170 g granulated sugar
Zest of 2 blood oranges (they tend to be small, use 1 if yours is large)
170 g butter, unsalted, melted
Instructions
Prepare the madeleine mold by brushing it with melted butter and dust with flour, tapping out and discarding the excess. Place in the freezer and proceed to make the batter.*
Add the room temperature eggs, zest, and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until it increases in volume and appears very pale, approx 3-4 minutes.
As the eggs are whisking, whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Then sift them into the egg mix in 2 additions, gently folding the batter in between each addition. Try not to deflate.
Once the dry ingredients are almost entirely folded in, pour in the melted butter and fold in until just combined.*
Scoop the batter into a piping bag and retrieve the prepared mold from the freezer.
Pipe the batter into the mold and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Without Jam: Pipe the batter into each madeleine impression so that it is 3/4ths of the way full. Lightly tap the pan on the counter to help it spread and remove any potential air pockets.
With Jam: Pipe the batter into each madeleine impression so that it is 1/2 full. Take a warm spoon and lightly drag it through the batter to create a pocket.* Pipe a small amount of jam into the divot (about 2 teaspoons worth) and cover with batter. Smooth out the batter with a damp finger so that the jam is completely covered and the chance of leaking is reduced.*
As the madeleines are chilling the fridge, heat the oven to 400°F.
Bake the madeleines until golden and puffed, 8 minutes for the regular, 10 minutes for the jam-filled.
Immediately turn the madeleines out onto a small tea towel (racks tend to leave impressions on the warm cookies), spreading them out so that they are not touching and let cool completely.
Finish off by glazing the madeleines and letting the excess drip off on a wire rack. Let the glaze harden, approx. 10-15 minutes, and enjoy!*
Tips:
*When preparing the mold, I prefer using clarified butter as it produces the best color and final results. Ensure that the mold is thoroughly clean before and in between each use, as it tends to like to hold onto crumbs. Thoroughly tap out the excess flour (and save it for the next batch) or else it will cake on the top of the madeleine once backed. For the second batch, prepare the mold and place it in the freezer just for 2-3 minutes to chill. The combination of melted butter and an even coat of flour never failed me and my madeleines have always come out clean!
*I always melt the butter first and set it aside to cool slightly as I whisk and fold everything else. If you're worried your butter may be too hot when it is time to fold in, slowly stream it down the side of the bowl to help it cool and proceed folding it in as normal.
*Before I begin piping, I place the spoon in a cup of hot water. Quickly dry it off before dragging it through the batter and return the spoon to the water after every other madeleine
*When piping the second layer of batter, I try to create a sort of barrier by piping in an oval around the jam, then piping a little on top. Smoothing it out helps to prevent the jam from leaking out when baking, which could cause the madeleine to stick, and sometimes burn if it comes in contact with the pan. Also, if the jam you are using is too thick or chunky, blend it briefly in a food processor or with a hand blender to make it smooth and pipable.
*There are plenty of other ways to finish off the madeleines. If your not a fan of glaze or want your madeleines to be less sweet, eat them as is (and I'd recommend eating them when warm!) or dust lightly with powdered sugar. Other options for glazing are dipping them halfway to create a diagonal effect, or drizzling on top in a zig-zag pattern. You could even add heart sprinkles for Valentine's Day!
Quick side note: the madeleines with jam tend to lose the signature "belly". Here's a side by side comparison of one without jam (left), and one with (right).
Blood Orange Glaze
150g powdered sugar
3-4 TBSP blood orange juice
Instructions
Juice the blood orange, removing any excess pulp and seeds. Add the powdered sugar to a bowl.
Add the juice to the powdered sugar and whisk to combine. It should be a pale pink color and a thin/runny consistency with no lumps.*
Tips:
*In all honesty, I don't even measure this. because it's so simple. I typically just add some powdered sugar to the bowl, add the juice, whisk, and adjust until I reach the desired consistency.
Time to be Goldilocks because glazing comes down to preference, here's and some examples of different icing consistencies. In my opinion, the one on the left is too thin and doesn't show the color enough. The one on the right is too thick and you lose the ridges of the madeleine. The one in the middle is the perfect balance of color and thickness for the madeleines. Tweak this recipe as needed to your own preference and glaze the madeleine however you like! In all honesty, pictures don't do it justice and I know this makes me sound slightly insane, fretting over such a small detail.
