Earl Grey Madeleines

Jesicakes' second Madeleines!  I visited my mom and grandma this past weekend and wanted to bring them a treat.  Since I just made the Triple Chocolate Brownie Cookies for my mom the week before, I wanted to make something a little more on the lighter side for her this time.  She didn't get to try my last batch of Madeleines so it seemed like the perfect treat.  I wanted to use Earl Grey tea as the flavoring this time.  They came out light, fluffy, and cake like but with the perfect touch of sweetness and delicate floral notes from the Earl Grey tea.  I made some changes from my original recipe.  I substituted out some of the sugar for honey for a more subtle sweetness.  I also added vanilla to marry with the Earl Grey flavor.  There's still lemon in there but slightly less.

Although I mentioned the last batch was best fresh because they were glazed, these I just dusted with powdered sugar.  They actually tasted better after they had rested a day or two, and even got softer and more moist than when first out of the oven.  The flavors all seemed to burst the day after I baked them.  It may be that I needed to let my dough rest more in the fridge, but either way they still wound up being delectable.  And of course, they're perfect to dip into or pair with a nice warm cup of Earl Grey tea.

Earl Grey Madeleines

Recipe adapted from my Lemon Thyme Glazed Madeleines, which were adapted from Annie Eats
Made Gluten Free by Jesicakes
Makes about 2 dozen standard Madeleines
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Ingredients

- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 Tbsp honey
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup brown rice flour
- 1/3 cup sorghum flour
- 1/3 cup white rice flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 9 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled to room temperature- zest of 1/2 a lemon (or to taste)
- 3 tea bags of Earl Grey tea (I used decaf since my grandma and I both avoid caffeine)

-extra melted butter and white rice flour to grease and dust the Madeleine mold.

Triple Chocolate Brownie Cookies

If I could only have one dessert, it would probably be a brownie.  I'm a sucker for anything chocolate, but there's something about the moist, dense texture of a brownie combined with the rich chocolate taste that makes them irresistible.  Last weekend my family went on our annual wine tasting trip, and I wanted to make a treat to bring along.  I wanted to make something that everyone would like and something that would also travel well.  While I love brownies, they're not the best thing for traveling.  Even dense, fudgelike ones can tend to be smashed and squished while being carried unless they're in their own separate container or bag.  

I looked through all my cook books and found the answer in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.  Her Double-Chocolate Brownie Cookies (pg. 75) were the perfect solution.  A cookie is sturdier than a brownie because its whole exterior has been baked, almost like it has a protective shell, whereas a brownie really only "set" on the top (or sometimes sides if it was on the edge of the pan.  This cookies are similar to the Andes Fudge and Peppermint Bark Cookies I made, except those definitely had a texture and taste more like fudge (hence the name), while these have dense cake like texture very similar to a brownie.  

I decided to alter her recipe a bit, using a mix of granulated sugar and light brown sugar instead of just granulated.  I also decided to make them Triple-Chocolate Brownie Cookies instead of double-chocolate.  She suggests that you can add walnuts or any kind of nuts really, but since I have a mild allergy to walnuts I left nuts out altogether.  And of course, I made them gluten free.

Triple Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Recipe adapted Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook Double-Chocolate Brownie Cookies (pg. 75)
Made Gluten Free by Jesicakes
Makes about 30 cookies
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Ingredients

- 3 oz semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2 oz 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate (I use Ghiradelli), roughly chopped
- 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup sorghum flour, sifted
- 1/4 + 1/8 cup brown rice flour, sifted
- 1/4 cup white rice flour, sifted
- 1/8 cup tapioca flour, sifted
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 oz 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate chopped into 1/4" chunks