Chocolate and Lemon Madeleines

It's been a while, eh? I made these quite a long time ago but have not had time to sit down and write a post. This is another recipe from Pierre H.'s Chocolate Desserts. I'm hoping that at some point I will have replicated all of the recipes from this book but some are really really involved. Not this one though. These madeleines are airy and chocolaty with a hint of lemon. And they are so much better than the store-bought ones, unless you buy from really good patisseries. 

The downside is that you have to get yourself a madeleine mold if you don't already own one. In this case, I recommend getting the non-stick one by Chicago Metallic. It works beautifully, there's no need to grease and flour the mold and the madeleines still slide right off. Before we go on to the recipe, don't try making this when you don't have time to let the batter rest. Resting is essential in creating the domes. 

So let's get started. 

INGREDIENTS:

Make 12 cookies

1/2 cup and 1 Tsp (or 70g) all-purpose flour

3 1/2 Tsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/2 tsp double-acting baking powder

1/3 cup and 2 Tsp (or 90g) sugar

Pinch of fine salt

1 lemon

2 large eggs, at room temperature

6 1/2 Tsp (or 100g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

METHOD:

Sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder and set aside. Put the sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Grate 1/4 of the lemon (1/2 if it's a small one) into the bowl and rub everything together until the sugar is moist, grainy, and very aromatic.

Using a whisk, beat the eggs into the lemon-sugar mixture until the mixture is blended. Squish the butter through your fingers or smear it under the heel of your hand to create a pomade and add it to the bowl. Still using the whisk, beat in the butter just to get it evenly distributed. Gently whisk in the sifted flour mixture, stirring only until the flour is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. 

Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter and chill it overnight before baking. If you don't have enough time, give the batter at least an hour rest in the refrigerator. 

When you are ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 425ºF (or 220ºC). If your mold is not a non-stick one, butter and flour the mold, tap out the excess flour. 

Divide the batter evenly among the madeleine molds. There's no need to flatten out the batter, the heat from the even will do that. Place the pan in the oven, insert a wooden spoon in the door to keep it slightly ajar, and immediately turn the oven temperature down to 350ºF (180ºC). Bake the cookies for about 13-15 minutes, until they are domed and spring back when press lightly. Unmold the cookies and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature. You will get a dozen of these cute little cookies

These cookies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks. I hope you have fun making them and even more fun devouring them!