Orange Madeleine Cookies
Orange Madeleine Cookies! These buttery little French cakes are one of my favorites to serve with tea or coffee. Softly spongy, speckled with dried blue cornflowers, infused with fresh orange zest and orange blossom water, they are truly a delight to make and eat!
It may seem that their production is fiddly, but really they are one of the simplest confections you can make. The only requirement is the correct mold. The ingredients are straight off your basic pantry..but then you can pretty much add any flavoring you enjoy. Like I did for my Lemon Madeleines and Chocolate Madeleines.
These Orange Madeleine cookies got a hefty dose of orange zest and a splash of orange blossom water along with a tablespoon full of dried blue cornflowers.
This was a lovely gift I got from a friend on my visit to Moscow in July. They added pretty blue speckles to the madeleines and a subtle clove flavor. If you can't find these, just go ahead and use whatever edible dried flower petals ( dried rose would be great here!) you can lay your hands on. Or, leave them out altogether..your cakes will still taste sublime.
Whilst making madeleines is a breeze, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- The butter should be melted and cooled before you fold it into the batter, slowly.
- The batter needs to rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. That's what ensures that the madeleines get their characteristic hump once baked.
So go ahead, fancy up your tea time, and enjoy these little treats! Aren't they just the prettiest?!
More Easy Madeleine Recipe To Try:
- Chocolate Cherry Madeleines
- Pumpkin Oats Madeleines
- Vegan Coffee Hazelnut Madeleines
- Spiced Brown Butter Madeleines
Recipe
Orange Madeleine Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup All purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp Baking powder
- 1 pinch Salt Omit if using salted butter
- 2 tsp Fresh orange zest
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Orange blossom water Optional
- 90 gms Butter, melted and cooled I used salted butter
- 1.5 tsp Dried blue cornflower petals Optional
Instructions
- Sift the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix the orange zest and sugar with your fingertips till the sugar is fragrant and moist.
- Beat the eggs and sugar till pale and thick, doubled in volume. Whisk in the orange blossom water. Now gently fold in the flour mixture, followed by butter. Please don't over-mix. Add the dried blue cornflower petals, gently.
- Cover the batter and refrigerate for minimum of 3 hours or for up to 2 days.
- When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 200C. Grease and flour the madeleine molds. If you have a silicone pan, no prep is needed.
- Spoon the batter into the molds, about three-quarters of the way. There is no need to level the batter. Bake for 12 -15 minutes at 200 C or until they are golden and the tops are springy to touch.
- Turn them out on a cooling rack. Cool to room temperature and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve immediately.
Alternative of eggs