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.

The madeleine dough has to set for at least an hour...so don't worry about preheating an oven just yet.  Just get all your ingredients ready.  In a large bowl mix together the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, white rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, and xanthan gum.

Brush pan with melted butter.  Then dust it with white rice flour.  Tap off the excess flour and then place the mold in the fridge until needed.

Whip the eggs, sugar, and salt an electric mixer for about 5 minutes or until frothy and thickened.  I beat them for 6 minutes.  After they achieve a good texture, add the honey and beat for another minute.

*I just actually realized that last time I used a whisk not a paddle.  The only difference really is they have to beat for a bit longer to achieve that frothy texture. 

While the eggs and sugar are whipping, grind down the Earl Grey Tea.  If you don't have a mortar and pestle you can use a spice or espresso grinder.  My tea was from a tea bag, and barely needed to be ground down.  Of course you can use loose tea also, which will need to be ground more most likely.  I prefer loose tea but needed to use decaf and I only had that in bags.

When the eggs are done whipping, sift in the flour mixture and fold in into the batter.  Add the zest and Earl Grey.  Drizzle in the butter while simultaneously folding it into the batter.  Fold it only until the butter is just incorporated.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate the batter for at least 1 hour, up to 12 hours.  The Earl Grey flavor didn't really come through until the day after I baked them.  This may be because I only rested the dough for one hour.  I recommend resting it longer, although like I said the day after I baked these the Earl Grey flavour did really begin to pop.

Once you're ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 425˚F.

So last time I made Madeleines, I had difficulty scooping the dough into the mold without spreading it at all.  Martha to the rescue...she recommends putting the batter in a piping bag and piping it into the mold.  It's neater and easier!  But of course if you don't have piping bags you can use a spoon or scoop.

Fill the tins about three quarters full.  The dough will expand to fill the mold.

Bake for 8-9 minutes.  I did 5 minutes, turn, then 3 minutes.  You want the Madeleines to feel springy.  They should be able to tilt right out of the pan when complete.  You can remove them from the pan almost immediately.

 Allow them to cool on a wire rack.  Once cool you can dust them with powdered sugar if you'd like.

Since they're cake like they're the perfect treat to dip in tea.  Dip into Earl Grey tea to enhance the flavour even more!

So grab a cup of tea, a few light fluffy Earl Grey Madeleines, and just relax and forget your troubles.  The subtle flavors and the delicate cake are the perfect soothing treat.

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