Pumkin Spice Madeleines
For some reason I own a madeleine pan and oddly enough it comes in quite handy. My nieces love the madeleines at Starbucks and when they were younger I taught them how to make them. It’s a good baking project for younger kids since the little cakes cook up fairly quickly for instant gratification. My nieces were also mesmerized by the process of separating the egg yolks and watching the egg whites double as they whipped up into a meringue. I had purchased a giant can of pumpkin puree at Mariano’s and since I’m quite obviously on a pumpkin spice kick I decided to adapt my go-to madeleine recipe to make Pumpkin Spice Madeleines with a white chocolate glaze. Unfortunately this recipe does call for a madeleine pan but if you like baking, adding one to your arsenal may not be the worst idea. Madeleines make excellent host/hostess gifts and the holidays are around the corner. Also, Epicurious tested a bunch of store-bought canned pumpkin brands to see which tasted the best (spoiler alert they selected Libby’s for the most pumpkin-y flavor).
Pumpkin Spice Madeleines
1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs
2/3 cup (142 g) light brown sugar
3/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the White Chocolate Glaze
1 cup white chocolate chips (melted in the microwave or with a double boiler on the stove)
INSTRUCTIONS
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a madeleine pan with baking spray or butter. I have 1 madeleine pan so I did this in two batches.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter simmer until it is a toasted brown color and has a nutty aroma. There will be dark brown flecks (those are the milk solids) throughout. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter into a heat proof measuring cup to cool, making sure to scrape in any brown flecks that are left in the pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high until the mixture is light in color, thick, and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the flour mixture gently by hand. Once the flour is combined, gradually stream in the cooled melted butter and fold it into the mixture until completely incorporated. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure no pockets of flour or butter remain.
Using a tablespoon, fill the molds with batter until they are almost completely full. Press the batter lightly to distribute it into the mold.
Bake the madeleines for 10-12 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. The madeleines should bounce back when pressed with the tip of your finger.
Let cool in the pans for 3-5 minutes and then move to a wire rack. Dip the madeleines in white chocolate and allow cool until the chocolate is firm.
Store madeleines in an airtight container. They do get dry after a while and are best consumed within two days.
