Tuesday, January 11, 2011

TWD: Fluff-Filled Chocolate Madeleines


This week it’s my turn (!!!) to select the Tuesdays With Dorie recipe and I think I managed to choose the only recipe in the book that involves marshmallow crème, Fluff-Filled Chocolate Madeleines. I bought some madeleine pans around the same time I bought Baking (guess which I’ve used more often?), so this is one of the first recipes I put on my “to-make” list and I’m glad that it was still available when it was my turn to host. I must confess that when I was a teenager, my stepsister and I used to eat marshmallow fluff straight from the jar and I still love the stuff. I think this is a slightly more dignified way to eat it. Josh thought it was nice that I made something that looked like a football the weekend of the play-offs.







Though I haven’t used the pans very often, I’ve noticed that some madeleine recipes call for the batter to be chilled before baking and some do not. Dorie explains that chilling the batter increases your chance of the madeleines having their characteristic hump. It always is a good way to separate the work of a recipe over the course of two days, which I am a fan of. After an overnight chill, this batter was very thick and baked up huge madeleines!









One culinary skill I can use some work at is piping, I am always kind of a mess with a piping bag. I wasn’t able to get as much fluff in the madeleines as I would have liked. Maybe I’m just a glutton, but if anyone has suggestions for getting more filling in madeleines or cupcakes, I would be happy to hear them. I am not complaining about the chocolatiness of this recipe, though! Alone, the madeleines may have been good, but a bit ordinary; however, coated in chocolate ganache they are absolutely fantastic!







We rated this recipe an 8 for Deliciousness and I gave it a 4 for Effort, for an EDR of 2. A huge thank you to all the fabulous bakers who baked along with me this week. Every Tuesday I look forward to seeing the creations this incredibly talented group comes up with and am constantly inspired to try new things; I can’t wait to see all the fluffy goodness this week.




Fluff-Filled Chocolate Madeleines, from pages 170-171 of Baking: From My Home to Yours

For the Madeleines

2/3 cup all-purpose flour (3.375 ounces)

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (.75 ounces)

½ teaspoon baking powder
P
inch of salt 2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup sugar (3.5 ounces)
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Marshmallow Fluff, for filling and frosting

For the Dip

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

½ cup heavy cream

1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature


To make the Madeleines
: Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together.

Working with a stand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla extract, then switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Put a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the batter and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. Chilling the batter gives you a better chance of getting the characteristic hump on the back of the cookies.


Getting ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously butter 12 full-size madeleine molds, dust the insides with flour, and tap out the excess. Butter and flour or spray the pan even if it is nonstick; skip this step if you are using a silicone pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet.

Spoon the batter into the molds.


Place the pan in the oven and immediately lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes, or until they feel springy to the touch. Remove the pan from the oven and rap one side of the madeleine pan against the counter – the plump little cakes should come tumbling out. Gently pry any reluctant cookies out with your fingers or a butter knife. Cool to room temperature on a rack.


To Fill the Madeleines: Fit a small pastry bag with a small plain tip and spoon the fluff into the bag. Use the point of the tip to poke a hole in the rounded (plain) side of each madeleine, and pipe enough fluff into each cookie to fill it – stop when the fluff reaches the top of the cake. (You’ll use only a bit of fluff.)

To Make the Dip: Put the chocolate in a small deep heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a full boil, then pour it over the chocolate. Wait for 1 minute, then gently whisk the cream into the chocolate: start at the center and slowly work your way out in concentric circles until you have a smooth, shiny mixture. Gently whisk in the butter. Line a small baking sheet with wax paper. One by one, hold a madeleine at its narrow end and dip it into the chocolate, then lift it up, let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl and place smooth side down on the wax paper. Slide the baking sheet into the refrigerator to set the glaze, about 15 minutes. (You’ll have more ganache than you need, but making a larger quantity produces a better ganache. The leftover dip can be covered and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.) If you’d like, pipe a squiggle of fluff on the top of each madelein once the chocolate is set. Makes 12 Cookies.

Serving
: Coffee or every variety, milk, and hot chocolate are all good companions.
Storing: Although the batter can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple days, the madeleines should be eaten soon after they are made. However, wrapped airtight, they can be frozen – even after they’ve been filled and frosted – for up to 2 months. And stale madeleines, as Proust would be the first to tell you, are good for dunking.

Playing Around: Use the same poke-and-pipe technique to fill the madeleines with raspberry jam, lemon curd – homemade (page 462) or store-bought – or Nutella.

36 comments:

cocoa and coconut said...

You chose a wonderful recipe! I only learnt about these filled madeleines today, though I really love plain madeleines too. I can't wait to make these myself! I love how smooth and professional yours look. Hm, nutella would be a good filling too, as you've written.

Thanks for sharing!

Welcome to our crazy blessed life said...

Thanks for the fun pick this week! I enjoyed making this but also wondered how to get more fluff inside! :)

Peggy the Baker said...

Your madeleines are beautiful! No squiggles on mine (due to tool failure!). Thanks for choosing this recipe--it's the first time I've made madeleines!

Unknown said...

Fantastic pic! Yours look perfect..you frosted them beautifully. What a nice change from the regular madeleine!

Kayte said...

Yours look fabulous, so you might not want to be checking on mine this week...lol. Guys liked them, so you got two votes there for delicious! (You know me, I'm not a chocolate person so I didn't taste anything but the fluff, and you are right, it is good off a spoon straight up!) Here's how I got more fluff in mine: I dug out a little space so I could fit it in because otherwise it would not go in despite my best efforts. Is that cheating? Shhhh...don't tell anyone if it is. I figured the object was to get the fluff inside and how I did it was up to me. Thanks for the pick...I learned a lot, not all of it good...tee hee.

Leslie said...

Wonderful pick, Margot! Your madeleines are perfection, and I love the little squiggle of fluff that you gave them.

Flourchild said...

Perfect!!! Thank you for hosting this week..I loved the recipe!!

Valerie Gamine said...

Excellent pick, Margot!
Your cookies are beautiful, how on earth did you get the marshmallow to form such a perfect squiggle? Mine kept sticking to the pastry bag's tip. :P

chocolatechic said...

I wish I had a madeleine pan, but I don't so I used a mini muffin tin.

Great pick.

Anonymous said...

Yours look fantastic, thanks for the pick! I agree, I wanted to get more spread in mine as well!!!

Unknown said...

Thanks for hosting Margot - I'm always happy to have an excuse to use my madeleine pan, so I cheered your pick :) Your madeleines do look like little footballs - though definitely more gorgeous! Great pics. I heard the fluff was tricky to get inside so I skipped that step. I'm curious to see if someone will offer a helpful tip, I'll check back!

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

Yours look better than bakery stuff. I want to make these, tonight. Thanks for picking this recipe.

Nicole said...

I didn't dip mine all the way, but yours look really great! I liked these a lot, even though they had a few more steps. I'm not very good at piping either.

Beth said...

They DO look like footballs! Absolutely adorable.

Jessica of My Baking Heart said...

Wonderful pick this week! I loved them... and yours are so pretty! :)

Mary said...

Miss Margot....wonderful pick. Because of you, I know own two madeleine pans and tried two different recipes. Your cookies lok beautiful. Merci!

jillbuker said...

Yours are beautiful! Mine, not so much. Tasted great, however.

Nancy/n.o.e said...

I think it's cool that the recipe was still available when your turn to pick rolled around! Your madeleine/footballs are really cute; you could even pipe the football laces on there in the future. Just saying!

E. said...

They remind me of hostess cupcakes because of the filling. Thanks for sharing this. I've always wanted to make madeleines, but never tried it because I don't have the pan. What brand did you buy for the pan? Also, is the silpat that is under the pan in one of your photos there for a reason? Just wondering if it affects the baking. :) Oh and also, do you think it's ok to bake these in tartlet pans? Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Great selection! Thanks for picking a recipe that allowed me to use my unused madeline pan.

Jules Someone said...

Yours look fabulous! I left mine unfilled and naked. Ah well.

Gloria - The Ginger Snap Girl said...

Hi Margot. Your "footballs" look fabulous. I love the glossy chocolate ganache. These would make a good superbowl treat. :)

The Food Librarian said...

Great pick and yours turned out PERFECT! - mary the food librarian

Cakelaw said...

LOL - trust a bloke to look at these and see footballs. Thanks for hosting us this week - I enjoyed these.

Paula said...

I don't have a madeleine pan so my question is: Would you buy it again? Have you used it enough to earn a place in your kitchen?

Your picture is really making me want one.

Di said...

Wow, those look perfect, Margot! Great football comparison. =) I want to make these again soon, since my girls really enjoyed them and I want to see if I can get better bumps, like yours.

Nichicakes said...

I almost picked this one when it was my turn! I haven't made them yet but my fluff is on the counter waiting for me!

steph- whisk/spoon said...

those look expertly made!! that's for a fun choice this week!

margot said...

@Valerie: Just luck with piping I guess. There were some unphotographed not-so-pretty ones.

@Esther: I am not sure of the brand of my madeleine pans. I bought them at Sur La Table a couple years ago. A silpat underneath wasn't particularly necessary for this recipe, but I tend to line my baking pans out of habit. They're great instead of parchment paper for cookies. I don't know how this recipe would work with tartlet pans, but people seem to have had great success with mini muffin pans.

@Paula: Hmm, that's a good question! I don't think I've really used them enough to justify the precious real estate in my smallish kitchen. I bought the madeleine pans (plural, since I also own a mini) before I joined TWD and have since learned from the other bakers that there is pretty much always a creative solution to a pan-specific recipe. They do make beautiful cookies, though, and there are a lot of madeleine recipes out there.

E. said...

Thanks for helping me out!

Katrina said...

Wow, your madeleines look GREAT. I love that you totally covered them in chocolate. Great pick.

Sweet as Coco said...

Wow-these look amazing! If I get my hands on a Madeline pan I will have to try these!

The Honey Nut said...

Aw so cute! I just bought a Madeleine pan and I'm always looking for a good recipe. These chocolate ones look amazing:)

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry that I missed making these. Yours look great and sound delicious! They really do look like footballs too!

Rita said...

I have been searching all over for a recipe for chocolate madeleines. Thank you for posting this. I ma dying to try these; What a great post!!!!just for me.
Rita

Dorie said...

Where was I on the Tuesday that you chose these? I can't believe I missed you and your really beautiful chocolate madeleines. A million apologies, especially since the recipe is so much fun and you did such a great job with it.