Churro Madeleines

If you were to offer me a choice between another helping of dinner, such as a second order of fries, or a dessert after the meal, I would always choose the fries. I tend to lean more towards savory rather than sweets—I get that from my mom. With that being said though, whenever I do have a craving for something sweet, I always gravitate to desserts that aren’t over-the-top hit-you-over-the-head sweet. These Churro Madeleines fit the bill. I mean, sure they’re coated in sugar which you’d think would make them super sweet, but they’re actually not. They’re the perfect treat for when you’re looking for a sweet treat, and just because it’s a New Year, it doesn’t mean we can’t reward ourselves every now and then with a cookie. We deserve it. 

Let’s start by making the chocolate sauce for the cookies. So madeleines don’t really require chocolate sauce per say BUT since these are inspired by churros and churros are commonly served with a spiced chocolate sauce for dipping, I figured it was a must for this recipe! In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, espresso powder, cayenne and vanilla extract until well combined. Bring to a simmer and cook for a minute or two.

Remove the pan from the heat and add in the chocolate chips, stirring until melted through and smooth. Keep warm over very low heat until ready to use.

**Tip: The chocolate sauce can be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to serve. Just rewarm over very low heat, stirring often!**

Let’s talk madeleine cookies. I’m not going to show too much of an in depth tutorial on how to make them because these are the same cookie base as this recipe here from a while back. In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, vanilla and salt, at high speed until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. While the machine is running, slowly pour in the sugar in a slow and steady stream. Continue to be until the mixture is pale and very thick, 5 to 10 minutes.

**Note: Carefully fold in the flour in batches along with the grated orange zest and freshly grated nutmeg until just combined, being careful not to over-mix the batter at this point.**

Add the browned butter and fold with a rubber spatula, once again, being careful not to over-mix the batter. Just stir until evenly combined, and you should be good to go. 

**Tip: To brown butter, melt in a medium saucepan, over medium heat until the crackling stops and brown bits form at the bottom. Immediately remove from the heat and pour out into a small dish, scraping up all those bits from the bottom. Set aside to cool to room temperature.**

Spoon the batter into the molds and give the pans a gently rap on the counter to dislodge any air bubbles. Bake until golden brown around the edges and the cookies spring back when you touch them, about 12 to 14 minutes.

**Note: In order to make these madeleines you’ll need this specific cookie pan to get the shape right. If you don’t already own one, I like this one from Amazon.**

Remove from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 5 minutes. Use a pairing knife to loosen from the pan and then invert onto a wire rack.

Once the cookies have cooled completely, it’s time to churro-fy them. Dip each one carefully in melted butter and then toss in a mixture of granulated sugar and ground cinnamon. 

Once the cookies have been coated, it’s best to serve them right away. If you don’t plan to eat them as soon as you make them, you can bake the cookies and store them in an airtight container and then dip and coat them right before serving!

Make sure you serve the cookies with the warmed chocolate sauce from earlier because nothing is better than a churro dipped in chocolate, I assure you. 

Keep these cookies in mind the next time you’re in search of a cookie that isn’t overly sweet or too indulgent. These are a great excuse to have a cookie first thing in the morning with your coffee or tea without any of the guilt. It might be a new year, but we’re still the same us and the same us wan’t and deserve a cookie every now and then. 

Churro Madeleines

Churro Madeleines are a great cookie to make when you're feeling like a sweet treat without being over-indulgent. Now you can have cookies for breakfast!

Servings 24 cookies

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

Cookies:

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 4 large eggs
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Chocolate Sauce:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour two 12 (3-inch) madeleine pans. Set aside. (If you only have one, you can bake the cookies off in batches, just re-grease and re-flour after each batch).
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat until the crackling stops and brown bits form at the bottom. Immediately remove from the heat and pour out into a small dish, scraping up all those bits from the bottom. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, vanilla and salt, at high speed until light and fluffy, about 8 minutes. While the machine is running, slowly pour in the sugar in a slow and steady stream. Continue to be until the mixture is pale and very thick, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add the flour into the mixture in thirds, gently folding the flour in after each addition. Make sure not to over-mix the batter at this point or you'll end up with dry madeleines.
• Stir in the orange zest, nutmeg and browned butter, make sure to gently fold it in, as quick as possible. Spoon the batter into the molds and give the pans a gently rap on the counter to dislodge any air bubbles. Bake until golden brown around the edges and the cookies spring back when you touch them, about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the pans for about 5 minutes. Use a pairing knife to loosen from the pan and then invert onto a wire rack.
• To make the chocolate sauce, add cream to a medium saucepan along with the brown sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt and cook over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, no lumps of cocoa powder remain, and mixture is simmering, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add chocolate, stirring to melt. Keep warm over very low heat until ready to serve.
• In a medium bowl, toss together the sugar and cinnamon until well combined. Once the cookies have cooled, dip each into melted butter and then roll around in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Author: The Candid Appetite