Rosemary, Orange, & Honey Cornmeal Madeleines

Yesterday was a beach day. I was mainly just chillin’ and people watching as I do, when my nosey radar picked up on some major cuteness from the folks parked in front of my ocean view. It was a mama and baby (girl… toddler maybe? I don’t know), and they had matching sun hats and sunglasses (who knew they made ray bans for toddlers?!), and between butterfly kisses and sand castle building they would take snack breaks. THIS IS WHERE IT GETS GOOD! I mean, this is where I got real nosey. Their snack of choice? Homemade madeleines! And I don’t know if it was my creeper stare or what, but the lil blonde chickadee even offered me one. This made me happy. And hungry. And like, you totally can’t take a two year olds cookie, so yeah, I had to bust a move out of there and make my own!

I packed up my lame snacks (vegan crackers and almonds … what the hell was I thinking?), hopped on the train, and skipped home to bust out the tin. You should probably know two things about that last sentence.

1) Skipping can make people around you – especially in crowded public places – real uncomfortable. Do it anyways. People should skip more. It’s cool and old school. Let’s bring it back.

AND!

2) Yes, you’re really going to need a proper madeleine tin if you plan on making these sexy shell shaped beauts. But seriously, they’re like 10 bucks (maybe 12!) and a great investment if baking is your thing. I’ve had mine for years! They last.

I spun a little crazy into the classic by adding chopped rosemary, honey, orange zest, and cornmeal. There’s browned butter, too. No biggie. Except it totally is. Browned butter is always a biggie. I’ve been worshipping it lately.

On to the other flavors!

The rosemary is subtle, like it should be in most cases, and the orange and honey pop just enough to excite, but not overwhelm. And, the corn meal?! To me, it’s the best part! I know that sounds extreme, but I just love the crunch it adds to these delicate little cookies. I ate 10 with no shame.

Ok. I’m going to eat the last 10. Because I need to bake a cake and can’t have cookies hanging around when that happens! Jealousy issues.

Bye for now. See you tomorrow for dinner!

Rosemary, Orange, & Honey Cornmeal Madeleines – Baker by Nature

Ingredients:

13 tablespoons unsalted butter, browned

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all – purpose flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

4 large eggs, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

Zest of one large orange (about 1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, very fine

*Additional flour & butter needed for pan

Instructions:

Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat until brown and nutty smelling, about 8 minutes (watch carefully; you don’t want BLACK butter). Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool.

Generously grease madeleine tin(s) with plenty of butter (get it in all those little ridges!) and lightly dust with flour, then tap pan to remove any excess. Set aside.

Beat eggs on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment on for about 4 minutes, or until very thick and doubled in size (don’t skimp on time here). Slowly add the sugar and beat for another 2-3 minutes before adding the vanilla, honey, orange zest, and rosemary.

Add the flour to the mixing bowl and gently fold in using a rubber spatula. Now fold in the browned butter, stirring only until everything is combined.

Spoon or pour the batter into the molds, filling each cup 1/2 way full as the batter does spread. Bake for 7-9 minutes, maybe a little longer depending on the size of your tin. Remove baked madeleines from the tin immediately and transfer to a wrack to cool completely.