when ‘08 rolls around i will not be baking for quite awhile. if i do, feel free to come to my house and kill me - but only because i will deserve it. baking isn’t even my thing but i can be way too easily coerced into going there. but let’s be honest here. if one doesn’t bake in december then one is just not ever baking. i’d say that’s pretty close to a fact.
it’s a tradition around here to do a biscotti baking night about a week before christmas. for the past 7 years or so, angela and i produce some mighty kick-ass almond biscotti - some with chunks of candied ginger. the real kind. the kind with no butter. just flour, eggs, sugar, water, vanilla extract and almonds. the kind that is heavy and hard and just so wonderful with a cup of good coffee. but this year we punted. we got together, cracked a fine bottle of pinot noir and declared it a “no biscotti biscotti night”. and we proceded to drink agreeing that we were all fat enough.
but last week while out and about i spotted a madeline pan. and i’ve always wanted to make madeleines. they’re so french sounding and so beautiful to look at. and for $18 it was all mine. another baking thing to own. and there is some strange comfort in that. which i am sure is wrapped up and intertwined all quite nicely with some semi-major psychological defect…
but really, it started with heidi’s post. and i followed the recipe exactly. veering nowhere. a rarity for me. but this is a classic case of not messing with perfection.
and i’ll be damned if they don’t taste as spectacular as they look. little charming individual shell shaped browned butter and lemon sponge cake christmas cookies!
a new tradition…
16 responses so far ↓
1 Mary Coleman // Dec 28, 2007 at 7:54 am
oh.my.God.
yum.
2 Lesley // Dec 28, 2007 at 8:38 am
Beautiful!
3 clumsy // Dec 28, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Bravo! I’ve never attempted Madelines before (and I am NOT baking in 08 either, or at least not before I lose 15 pounds!) I’ll have to try them next year!
4 J // Dec 28, 2007 at 2:02 pm
So, you DO bake! And beautifully, too. I take it all back, C.
5 Butta Buns // Dec 28, 2007 at 3:02 pm
They look fantastic and so dainty! I bet they lasted all of 2 hours. At least, that’s the time it would take me to wolf them down.
It’s ironic how something so dainty and pretty has the power to own it’s own pan shape. I’m hesistant to get one because then I’d probably never leave the house and do nothing but eat butter cookies all day long.
Happy New Year to you!
6 cookiecrumb // Dec 28, 2007 at 4:22 pm
What a remembrance!
I always wondered why they didn’t call them seashells.
7 FireDog // Dec 28, 2007 at 5:48 pm
SHWEET!
If you hear a knock on the door….. it’s me.
8 lucy // Dec 29, 2007 at 10:57 am
i’ve had a crush on madelines since i first saw them here in blogland. i have yet to bake/taste them, but i can’t imagine they’d be anything much short of perfection. so pretty *sigh*
9 yveala // Dec 30, 2007 at 1:20 pm
i have a similiar recipe which works beautifully in tiny bundt pans…i think heidi’s recipe will work in them too but i’m on the lookout for this pan to make these daintier beauties (plus i’ve always loved the name madeline!) and.. i’ll be brewing my best earl grey for the occasion…
10 Jerry // Dec 30, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Great looking medelines. I like to make them with some dried wild blueberries and lemon zest. WOW
11 Meg // Dec 30, 2007 at 10:32 pm
That’s a good picture of all of the madeleines in a buttery-gold tumble. They look insanely appealing. Those are great madeleines, aren’t they? The kids have cajoled me into baking more than I would otherwise… and I have to agree with you, even as a non-baker, there is something weirdly satisfying about having some of the accoutrements of baking.
12 Luloah // Dec 31, 2007 at 4:19 pm
WOW They look perfect!
Nothing compares to fresh-baked cookies!
13 Lauren // Dec 31, 2007 at 5:59 pm
I have to hijack your post to say, I saw black bean and cornbread madelines on food network. yummy! the cookies look damn good too though.
14 FrenchLaundryatHome // Jan 1, 2008 at 11:33 am
Damnit, I wasn’t going to do any baking for awhile, and now you’ve reminded me how much I love and how easy it is to make madeleines.
Happy new year!
15 Starla // Jan 5, 2008 at 11:22 am
They look awesome….I totally missed out!
16 mr. pink // Jan 10, 2008 at 10:15 am
Hmmm…these madeleines remind me of something….
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