Basic Gluten Free Madeleines

These petite little snack cakes, known as madeleines, can be created in an infinite number of flavour combinations. They are the versatile treat that can be adapted to any occasion or just a gourmandise with your tea.

When I began my search for a basic madeleine recipe, I of course came across We Love Madeleines, but their gluten free recipe is nothing more than a fancy shaped corn muffin; "gritty"should never fit in the definition of a madeleine! 

The basic gluten free madeleines that I have developed are soft, smooth, and slightly chewy inside. They can be enjoyed with Nutella, whipped cream and strawberries, or plain.

However you choose to take your madeleine, savour them and imagine yourself in a French cafe. 

Ingredients:

• 135g white sugar
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 235g sweet white rice flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF with the racks in the middle and upper portions of the oven.
2. In a standing mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high for five minutes, so that they become bright, light, and fluffy.
3. While the eggs and sugar are beating, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-small bowl. 
4. After the five minutes, turn the mixer down to low and add the flour mixture to the egg and sugar mixture. After a few moments, stop the mixer, scrape the sides and then return it to medium-high.
5. Add the honey and vanilla. Once they are incorporated fully, add the butter - careful that it does not go all over (you may have to momentarily reduce the speed). Continue mixing for a few moments until all of the ingredients are evenly mixed together.
6. Stop the mixer, remove any extra batter on the paddle attachment back into the bowl, and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to bring the batter together at the bottom of the bowl. Set aside.
7. Place each of two silicone madeleine moulds onto cookie sheets on a level surface. (If using tin or non-stick madeleine pans, prepare as suggested for those pan types - butter and flour dusting, I believe.)
8. Using a small spoon, scoop just enough batter into each mould to fill it 2/3 full. (This may be challenging at first, but after a few tries you will get a hang of it. I'll try to post a photo next time I make madeleines.) You should have enough batter to make 3 dozen madeleines, but don't worry if you short yourself just a few. (Over filling the moulds will result in a large mess when they all bake together, not to mention making them very difficult to remove from their forms. If you're a beginner, error on the side of less full and work your way up with practice.)
9. When both sets of moulds are filled, place the moulds, still on their cookie sheets, into the oven being sure to stagger their positions. (In my oven I know that the left side is hotter, so I place the cookie sheet on the lower rack on the left side, and the one on the upper rack on the right, in order to balance out the heat reaching them. Some recipes recommend rotating midway through baking but I find that with gluten free baking that is just asking for trouble.)
10. Bake at 375ºF for 5 minutes. Then turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 15 more minutes. (Baking hotter, then reducing the temperature, allows the batter to better melt into the shape of the moulds at the higher temperature, then bake at the correct temperature. You may still have some air bubble holes on the surface of your madeleines, as seen in the photos of mine - its air bubbles or flat dense madeleines.) As they cook, you will see the batter start to form a depression in the center of each - don't worry, this is normal. After a few moments they will begin to rise again and start to form nice rounded backs. The edges will just begin to turn golden when they are done, if at all.
11. If the edges begin to turn golden or your kitchen timer goes off, carefully remove them from the oven and place the cookie sheets themselves on cooling racks. Pretend you are handling a delicate soufflé - these madeleines are still delicate at this point. Do not worry if the tops glisten and look a bit moist, that is how they should look.
12. Now comes the hard part: You MUST wait at least ten minutes before you even think about taking one of those delicious smelling treats out of their moulds, or you WILL ruin them. You have to wait because they are not yet done cooking. The residual heat and the cooling process will solidify the madeleines at this point. (If you tried to take one out now, it would just be molten mush.) As they cool, they will become solid and pull back from the sides of their moulds.
13. After they have cooled, when the pans are cool enough to touch, turn the moulds upside-down and the madeleines should simply fall right out. If not, gently push on the back side of the individual shells and they will release.
14. They are now ready to be eaten or prepared to serve as you would like. Bon appétit!