After coming back from our trip, I wanted to bake some treats that inspired me while on our travels. Traveling though France, we saw Madeleine perfection so I decided to give it a try myself. Since I love adding twists to recipe's, I decided to do half plain chocolate Madeleines and half chocolate-chip cherry Madeleines. I must say, they both came out really well: moist and chewy with a rich cocoa flavor. The recipe was overall very simple but to achieve the perfect Madeleine shape, you do need to invest in a Madeleine non-stick pan. I feel it's definitely worth it, especially if you need to enjoy a coffee break everyday at 3:00 pm, just as the French do!
Chocolate Madeleines
*1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
*1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
*1/2 teaspoon baking powder
*1 pinch salt
*2 ounces softened butter
*1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
*1/4 cup white sugar
*2 eggs
*1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
*2 tablespoons chocolate chips
*1/4 cup dark pitted cherries
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease one Madeleine pan. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together and set aside. Cream the butter with the almond extract and the sugar. Add the eggs and beat to mix. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Place a rounded teaspoon of batter into the prepared Madeleine shell forms and add chocolate chips and cherries, according to liking. Bake for 12 minutes, remove from oven, and immediately invert onto a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and serve.
