Cookie Thursday: Lavender Madeleines

Kim brought me culinary lavender from Ali’i Kula Lavender Farms in Maui, and this week, I decided to try it in a Madeleine recipe from Baking From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan. In addition, Louise recently gifted me a Shell Pan, useful for making Madeleines, so I now had no excuse. I have never made Madeleines before, although I did name my cat in high school Madeline. Spelled different, but just as unique!

The recipe in Dorie’s book calls for chilling the dough at least 3 hours, or up to 2 days. Other Madeleine recipes do not call for the same waiting period, I might have to experiment and see which I like better.

These cookies were tasty, fluffy little pillows, with a nice perfume of lavender. I think they would be a tasty addition to a tea party or afternoon coffee group. Let me know if you start one and I will bring them!

Lavender Madeleines

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon culinary (edible) lavender
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Melt butter in small saucepan. Stir in the lavender and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain through a cheese-cloth lined sieve and discard lavender.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

In another bowl, work the lemon zest into the sugar, using your fingers, until the sugar is very fragrant.

Into your stand mixer, add the eggs, sugar and zest and beat together until pale and thick, about 2-3 minutes. Add the honey and vanilla and beat another minute. Fold in dry ingredients. Fold in butter. 

Press a piece of plastic wrap on surface of dough and refrigerate for 3 hours, or up to 2 days. 

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400F.

Butter your madeleine mold, and dust insides with flour. Don’t try to use cooking spray, it does not work well in this application. If you have a silicone madeleine mold, then you don’t have to do anything!

Spoon batter into molds. Bake 12-14 minutes until tops are golden and they spring back when touched. Remove from oven, and remove madeleines from pan by tapping pan against the counter. Cool on rack, but eat quickly. These are best the day they are made!