Orange Madeleines: In a small
saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter and then cook it until it is a very
light golden brown. Remove from heat and keep warm.
In a small bowl,
sift or
whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of
your electric
stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugars
on high speed until the
mixture is thick, pale yellow, and fluffy. (When you slowly raise the beaters
the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.). Beat in the vanilla extract,
orange extract, orange zest, and juice.
Then
sift about
one-third of the
flour mixture over the whipped eggs and gently
fold in, using a
rubber spatula or
whisk. Sift and fold in half of the remaining flour, and then
sift and
fold in
the rest. (Do not over mix or the batter will deflate).
Then
take
about 1 cup of the batter and fold it into the warm melted
butter. (This lightens the butter making it easier to fold into the batter.) Then, with a spatula, gently
fold the
butter mixture completely into the egg batter. Cover
and refrigerate the batter for at least 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight (can be
stored in the refrigerator for up to three days).
When you're ready
to bake the Madeleines, preheat your oven
to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Using a pastry brush, generously grease the molds of two - 12 - 3 1/2 inch (8.5 cm)
Madeleine pans (preferably non stick) with melted butter. Then
dust the molds with flour,
tapping out the
excess flour. Refrigerate the pans until the butter hardens (about 10 minutes). (Make sure the pans are
well greased or the Madeleines will stick and be hard to remove.)
Drop a
heaping
tablespoonful (about 25 grams) (can use an ice cream scoop) of the batter into the center of each prepared mold, leaving the
batter mounded in the center. (This will result in the classic "humped or
domed"
appearance of the Madeleines.)
Bake the
Madeleines for about 8 to 11 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers spring back
when lightly touched. A
toothpick inserted into the center of a Madeleine will come out clean. (Do not over bake or they
will be dry.)
Remove from oven and immediately tap
the pan against the counter to release
the Madeleines. Place Madeleines on a wire rack to cool. Best served immediately but can be stored in an airtight
container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a couple of days or frozen for up to
1 month. Dust with
powdered sugar before serving.
Makes about 20 to
22 - 3
1/2 inch (8.5 cm) Madeleines.
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