I love classic French cookies.  LOVE them.  When I was younger and still my aunt’s favorite niece (actually, I still am – no offense, cousins), she taught me how to bake cinnamon palmiers, which were always gone in a flash.  And French macaroons – I’m not talking about those sweetened coconut balls, but those melt-in-your-mouth confections made of almond flour.  My good friend Karen slaved over days to make 300 – yes, THREE HUNDRED – of these as wedding favors when I got married this year.  I love my friends!  (And no, I wasn’t a bridezilla).  

And finally, madeleines.  These cakey, buttery cookies make me feel guilty.  So for my own madeleines, I simply cut out 1/2 a stick of butter from a recipe I adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook by Ruth Reichl.  For extra flavor, I added lemon extract and chopped sour cherries for some tartness.  These taste much lighter, and I have to admit, a little addicting (I ate four just right now – they didn’t stand a chance coming out of the oven).

Sour Cherry and Lemon Madeleines

makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional 1 Tbsp melted butter for brushing on the molds

1 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp lemon extract

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dried sour cherries, finely chopped

Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.  Brush the madeleine molds with reserved melted butter.  

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

3. Beat the eggs in a metal bowl with an electric mixer or stand-up mixer, for about 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.  Beat for another 4-6 minutes, until the egg mixture is light and has tripled in volume.  

4.  Take the bowl away from the electric mixer.  Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture in 3-5 batches, folding in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula after each addition.  Fold in each addition until just combined.  After the last flour addition, fold in the butter.  Gently fold in the butter until well-incorporated with the egg-flour mixture.  Lastly, fold in the cherries until just combined.

5. Fill each madeleine mold with just over a tablespoon of batter.  Do not overfill the molds, but fill to about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way.  Place the molds in your preheated oven.  Bake for about 4-5 minutes and turn the molds halfway.  Bake for another 4-5 minutes, until the edges are just golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cookies comes out dry.

6. An easy way to detach the madeleines from the molds is to take a toothpick, gently pick under the edge of the cookie, and it will just slide right out.  You can also invert it onto a plate as well.