CARDAMOM AND ROSE MADELEINES
By: Kanika Katyal
Published: Wednesday, November 21, 2018 - 3:05am

Ingredients




– all-purpose flour: 100 gms
– baking powder: 1/2 teaspoon
– Seeds of 4 cardamom pods, crushed
– butter (Amul works too): 70 gms
– eggs: 2
– sugar: 65 gms
FOR ICING:
– icing sugar, sifted: 1/2 cup
– rose water: 1 to 2 tablespoons

Preparation

1 – In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and cardamom and set aside. 2 – Melt the butter in a saucepan and allow it to cool. 3 – Using the whisk attachment, whisk together the eggs and sugar until pale fluffy and voluminous. Sift in the flour mixture into the whisked eggs in two batches, folding to incorporate into the batter. 4 – Add the cooled melted butter in two batches, folding to incorporate after each addition. Place the batter in a glass bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 5 – When ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 6 – Brush the cavities of the madeleine pan with softened butter and dust with all-purpose flour. Dust off the excess flour and refrigerate the pan for a few minutes (I use a metal one which cools very fast). 7 –  Spoon the madeleine mixture into the cavities (don’t tap the pan to spread the mixture) and bake in pre-heated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until your finger springs back when you touch the centre of the madeleine. Let the madeleines cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning them on to a wire rack to cool completely. 8 –  Mix the sifted icing sugar with a tablespoon of rosewater (add more if needed) to get a thick icing that you can drizzle over the madeleines.

About

I’m a fan of bite-sized food. So easy to serve and gives you a great inkling of how much you really should be eating. Take these adorable little madeleines, for instance, so deeply satisfying, without being cloyingly sweet. While the French refer to these as little tea cakes, the Americans call them shell-shaped cookies. I’m more likely to lean on the “tea cake” reference than call them cookies. I’m hoping you’ll agree once you take you first bite of these beauties.
 
The whisk attachment of the Artisan Stand Mixer helps beat so much air into the batter and then a simple spatula does the rest. As tempting as it might be to bake the madeleines right away, it is imperative to cover and refrigerate the batter overnight if you’re looking for the trademark “bump” at the back of these madeleines – it’s quintessentially French! I’ve added a hint of cardamom and drizzled it with a rosewater icing to give these French treats a distinct Indian flavor.
 
Makes 12 large madeleines