We had quite a few different pastries while in Paris, but when I tried a true French Madeleine, it was like the heavens had opened up and dropped little angelic cloud puffs into my mouth. They were light, fluffy, buttery--with crispy, defined edges and tasted so so so fresh. I adored their shell shape and how feminine they looked. ALSO--the name?! The French LOVE me. When we were there, we saw a Madeleine subway station, a church, a restaurant, and a hotel. : D
I got my Madeleine pan off amazon for $10 and think it was worth the purchase, especially now that I've seen how easy it is. For this recipe, I wanted to "Americanize" it a bit, by adding one of my all time favorite ingredients, peanut butter. (Apparently, peanut butter is very rare in France.) I think their gooey paste of choice is either Nutella or Speculoos.
This wasn't too hard to put together and just perfect with your morning coffee or afternoon tea. I think it tastes best right out of the oven, or should at least be eaten the day off (not that hard, trust me. I couldn't stop).
Peanut Butter French Madelines: (makes 12 )
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup Peanut Butter
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- dash of salt
Directions: Melt butter and peanut butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Set aside to let cool at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F and spray the madeleine pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat together eggs, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. Continuously beating at high speed, gradually add sugar. Keep the mixer beating at high speed for 5-7 minutes. The egg mixture should have tripled in size and be very fluffy, thick and pale.
Add flour to mixture a little bit at a time, using a spatula to gently fold it into the batter. Add the peanut butter/butter mixture into the batter. Gently fold it in gradually.
Spoon batter into molds, and slightly tilt pan so the batter fills up each mold evenly. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, or until madeleines look golden and crispy on the edges. Flip onto a cooling rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bon appetit!
