Everyone loves Madeleines. Yes, because this shell-shaped cookie is really irresistible, hard to eat just one. Perfect as a breakfast treat or as a sweet snack, to be enjoyed over a cup of espresso, cappuccino or tea. We offer them to you in a completely new way: as raspberry Madeleines. Wonderful to the eye, delicious to the palate and quick and easy to prepare. We also thought of embellishing them with one, or rather two different, chocolate icings, white and ruby.
Madeleines are a traditional French cookie, originating from Lorraine in north-eastern France, now known all over the world as a wonderful delicacy. Moister than a plum cake, daintier than a muffin, more buttery and tastier than a biscuit: common ingredients such as flour, eggs, butter and sugar create a unique ensemble in Madeleines.
The history of Madeleine cookies, from the sacred to the profane
Legend has it that they owe their name to St Mary Magdalene: Christian influence would also be behind their characteristic shape, as the shell has always been the symbol of pilgrims.
History, on the other hand, tells us that it was a patissier, Madeleine Paulmier – who lived in France in the 18th century in the employ of the king of Poland – who came up with Madeleines. Here the tale is curiously intertwined with that of another very famous dessert: ‘our’ babà. Yes, because apparently it was Stanislaw Leszczyński (the newly appointed King of Poland) who ‘invented’ it. But that’s another story.
Returning however to the subject of Madeleines, the question arises: what was the Polish king doing in Lorraine, inventing cookies? After being dethroned twice and experiencing turbulent vicissitudes, Stanislaw settled in France where he could finally devote himself to his passions: patronage, architecture, hunting, cooking and, last but not least, desserts.
His reputation as a food gourmet preceded him and so it was that, when his pastry chef gave him a taste of these shell-shaped cookies, he fell in love with them and with him his whole entourage. Commercy to Versailles was a small step… and so it was that Madeleines conquered all of France and then the world.
Raspberry Madeleine cookies with ruby and white chocolate – the recipe for making them at home
INGREDIENTS (MAKES 24 SMALL RASPBERRY MADELEINES)
- 100 g creamed butter + enough to grease the baking tin
- 120 g 00 flour
- 110 g icing sugar
- 6 g baking powder
- a sachet of vanillin
- the zest of 1/2 untreated lemon
- a teaspoon of honey
- 2 whole eggs
- a pinch of salt
- 125 g fresh raspberries
- 100 g white chocolate
- 100 g ruby chocolate
METHOD
- Mix the soft butter with the icing sugar using a whisk to keep the mixture light.
- Once a light and fluffy mixture is obtained, add the eggs and continue to whisk.
- Add the flour, baking powder, vanillin and a pinch of salt. Mix until you obtain a light, creamy, lump-free consistency.
- Finally add the honey, lemon zest and 2/3 of the raspberries; mix, allowing them to crumble slightly.
- Place the raspberry Madeleine mixture in the fridge to chill for at least half an hour. The thermal shock gives rise to the typical Madeleine “dome” during baking (if you have time, we recommend transferring the mixture to a pastry bag and placing it in a baking tin immediately; then place it in the fridge to chill for half an hour or even overnight).
- Grease the Madeleine moulds. Fill the shell shapes with the mixture. Remember not to fill the moulds beyond halfway as the mixture rises a lot during baking.
- Bake the raspberry Madeleines in a static oven preheated to 180°C for about 10 minutes (the first few times you make them, use the toothpick test to check when they’re ready).
- Once they have turned a perfect golden brown, remove the tray from the oven, wait a minute and then with the help of a bamboo stick, turn out the raspberry Madeleines. Let them cool with the ‘belly’ side up on a wire cooling rack (the risen part is softer than the lower part and might stick to the rack).
- Once cooled, the raspberry Madeleines are already amazing as they are, with just a light dusting of icing sugar.
- For extra flavour and deliciousness, simply melt some white chocolate and ruby chocolate in a bain-marie. Decorate your cookies with the two chocolates and the fresh raspberries that you set aside. Et voila! The raspberry Madeleines with double chocolate are ready, enjoy!
