Honey Orange Madeleines with Chocolate
A french classic these Honey Orange Madeleines with Chocolate are moist, buttery, and lightly flavoured with honey and orange for zesty zing; perfect for any afternoon tea!
Ingredients
- 1 + 1/4 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tbsp (7g) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 2 medium eggs room temperature
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- zest of 1 medium orange
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) liquid honey
- 1/4 + 3 tbsp (100g) unsalted butter melted
- 4 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate roughly chopped
Instructions
for the batter
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar. Whisk until the sugar has fulled dissolved into the eggs and the eggs are pale in color and fall off the whisk in ribbons - This is so important or your madeleines will be lumpy. Then whisk in the orange zest and honey.
- Sift the flour mixture into the egg mixture and fold just until there are no visible streaks of flour. NOTE: You don't want to over-fold or the flour will be over-worked and the madeleines will be dense & tough.
- Cover the bowl with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for a minimum of one hour (up to two days max). This is so the flavors can deepen. If you were to bake the batter right away, it is unlikely the madeleines will rise properly since the flour has not absorbed the liquid.
- Once chilled, gently fold in the melted butter (as to avoid deflating the air). Melted butter gives the madeleines a shine and extra tender crumb.
to prep & assemble
- Preheat your oven to 375°F then prepare your pan as instructed below.
- To ensure the madeleines release from the pan after baking butter each madeleine crevice using a baking spray or by brushing melted butter. Use your fingers to rub the butter into each crevice, then lightly dust flour all over the pan: I recommend using a sifter to prevent clumps of flour. Lightly tap the pan on its edge 2-3 times to release excess flour. The buttered crevices should be completely coated in a light film of flour. If you notice any patches, butter, and flour again.
- Use two spoons, one to scoop the batter, and the other to release it, to fill each madeleine crevice with batter leaving only a 2 cm gap. Don't fill up to the edge or they will spill over.
- TIP: If you really want to be precise, scoop the batter into a piping bag, and cut an opening 1/2 inch up from the tip and pipe into the pan moving from the top to the bottom of the crevice while going left to right to fill.
to bake
- Bake the madeleines at 375°F for 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 7 -10 minutes or until lightly browned and only slight crumbs cling to an inserted toothpick. Do not open the oven until the very end or they may deflate.
- Remove the madeleine tray, and let cool for 5 minutes or until the pan can be touched with bare hands. Hold the pan upright (so the long edge is parallel to a surface), and lightly tap the pan against the counter so the madeleines slide out.
to decorate (optional)
- Melt 4 oz of chocolate (semi-sweet or bitter) in the microwave at 10-second intervals. Once cooled, dip the madeleines into the chocolate, and garnish immediately with orange zest or chopped pecans while the chocolate is still wet. Rest on a wired rack for 5-10 minutes or until the chocolate has slightly hardened.