Traditionally, madeleines are best eaten as close to coming out of the oven as possible. Here, untraditionally, we forgo all the beating and just place the ingredients in a food processor. Mixing them this way means that the resulting madeleines won’t be quite as light as those made by hand-whisking, but they’re every bit as delicate and buttery as you’d hope. We do it this way to build in a little bit of robustness, which allows them to still be eaten hours (rather than minutes) after they come out of the oven. This recipe is from Sweet, a cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. Read their tips for making intimidating-seeming desserts at home, right this way.
Reprinted with permission from Sweet: Desserts from London's Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, copyright © 2017. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 22
Ingredients
6
2
¼
¼
2
⅓
1
1
⅛
½
2½
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Cook 6 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. butter, 2 tsp. honey, and saffron threads (if using) in a small saucepan over low heat until butter is melted. Let cool to room temperature.
Step 2
Scrape vanilla seeds into a food processor; discard pod. Add eggs, sugar, and orange zest and process until smooth and combined. Sift baking powder, salt, and ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons flour into a small bowl, then add to egg mixture. Pulse a few times just to combine. Add honey mixture. Process once more, then pour batter into a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 400°. If using metal madeleine pans, brush molds with melted butter and dust liberally with flour. Silicone pans should not need any greasing or flouring, but you can lightly brush with a little melted butter, if you like. Tap to ensure molds are dusted, shaking off excess flour.
Step 4
Spoon a heaping teaspoon of batter into each mold; it should rise two-thirds of the way up the sides of the molds. If you only have 1 madeleine pan, chill remaining batter (you'll need to wash and dry pan before greasing and flouring again).
Step 5
Bake madeleines until beginning to brown around the edges and they spring back when tapped lightly in the center, 9–10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let sit 1 minute before releasing madeleines. The best way to do this, with a metal pan, is to go around the edges of each with a small knife or offset spatula (to make sure they aren't stuck), then tap edge of pan on the counter until they fall out. With a silicone pan, they should just fall out of their molds. Transfer cakes to a wire rack to cool.
Step 6
Pulse pistachios in food processor. Pile pistachios onto a plate in a straight line. Melt remaining 3 Tbsp. honey in a small saucepan or in a microwave until very runny. Brush lightly over shell-patterned side of one madeleine. With shell side facing down toward nuts, roll narrower end of madeleine along pile of pistachios so you have a straight ⅓" strip of pistachios at base of madeleine. Repeat with remaining madeleines. Transfer nut side up to a platter.
Step 7
Do Ahead: Madeleines can be made 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Step 8
Note: These were not tested by the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen.