[Cookie 005] Orange Cardamom Madeleines

Well, well, well. Look what happened. A recipe that wasn't totally delicious and pretty and perfect. To be fair, I don't know who screwed up--Martha or myself--but someone did, and it might have been both of us in fact.

I decided to make this recipe primarily because of the location of the kitchen I would be cooking in; I'm back in California on spring break, which means two things: 1) sunny, warm weather! 2) better cooking tools! I don't own a madeleine pan (or Viking stove or Cardamom) in New York, so I figured what better recipe to make at home than this one! Everything was going smoothly, except for me nearly forgetting to add the butter mixture to the dough before chilling it, but other than that, I think my dad and I followed the recipe rather diligently.

The issue arose when making the orange glaze for the cookies. My dad juiced an orange, but I failed to measure the proper amount in relation to the powered sugar, and I just added all the juice. So, you'd think, "No biggie! Just add more powdered sugar!" So I did, but I didn't add enough, and the glaze wasn't so much a glaze than a juice that the cookies rapidly absorbed. So that was my fault.

But the cookies themselves weren't that great either, to be honest. They were a little too dense for my liking, especially since madeleines are supposed to be light and airy. They soaked up the glaze, which made them a little less dry, but it wasn't right. Also, they were didn't bake up very nicely. The dough was lumpy and didn't fill out the whole madeleine dish. Boo!! Oh well, they were tasty, of course, but they didn't really live up to my expectations.

Orange Cardamom Madeleines

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 1 tablespoon good-quality honey
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, plus 2 tablespoons strained orange juice

Directions

1. Brush molds of a madeleine pan with butter; set aside. Make the batter: Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, and stir in honey and vanilla. Let cool 10 minutes.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 325, with rack in center. Stir together sugar and eggs in a medium bowl. Gently fold in flour mixture until combined. Add butter mixture, and fold until combined. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
4. Spoon batter into prepared pan, filling each mold halfway. Tap pan on work surface to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until cookies are puffed and edges are golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cool slightly. Unmold cookies onto rack, and let cool completely.
5. Make the orange glaze: Stir together sugar and orange zest and juice in a small bowl until glaze is smooth, thick, and opaque. Using a small pastry brush, coat ridged side of each cookie with glaze. Let set 15 minutes. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in an airtight container up to 3 days.

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{End Results}
Baking Difficultly: 2/5
Ingredient Accessibility: 3/5
Tastiness:3/5
Attractiveness: 2/5
Is it worth it?: In all honestly, probably not. But maybe if the glaze is done right...