Lavender-Glazed Lemon-Thyme Madeleines

***The Momofuku Milk Bar Cookie Mix Giveaway winners are announced at the end of this post!***

The first thing I want to say, is a Happy Happy Birthday to my my wonderful father! I love you, Dad! I hope it’s a great day, and I very much wish I could be there to help celebrate!

I recently acquired a madeleine pan with the aid of a William’s Sonoma gift card that I got for Christmas. I’d never made madeleines before, but they’d always intrigued me, so I decided to take a stab at it!

It’s not secret to anyone who follows my blog with any regularity that I have a somewhat serious obsession with lavender. Naturally, I had to employ this infatuating flavor into my first-ever madeleines. I love adding lemon to baked goods because it really brightens their flavor, but I also wanted to add an herb for a bit of depth and earthiness. Thyme pairs well with both lavender and lemon, plus I had a bunch in my fridge!

These madeleines are totally scrumptious. They are soft, slightly sticky from the glaze, not overly sweet, and packed with equal notes of the lemon, thyme and lavender.

The base recipe that I used was from the talented David Lebovitz. I wanted an authentic, French recipe, and since he spends much of his time in Paris, I figured his would be perfect. I did change a bit of the process to make things simpler (sifting flour? who does that? mixing by hand? never heard of it…), but I left the measurements virtually unchanged. I was very happy with how my madeleines turned out, and positively ecstatic to see that they had beautiful humps, WITHOUT the use of any leavening agents I might add!

*Ahem* I would also like to note that when Mikey sent me the file with the pre-edited photos in it, he had it labeled “French Clam Shells.” So, yeah… I guess that’s what he thinks they are called…

Lavender-Glazed Lemon-Thyme Madeleines

recipe adapted from here

makes about 2 dozen

ingredients:

madeleines:

•  3 large eggs
• 2/3 cup (130g) granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups (175g) all-purpose flour
• 9 tbsp unsalted butted, melted and cooled to room temperature
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, minced

glaze:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp culinary lavender
• 1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1. Brush the madeleine molds with melted butter. Dust with flour and tap off any excess. Place the molds in the fridge.
2. Add the lemon zest and thyme to the melted butter and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together the eggs, sugar, and salt for 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until thick and creamy. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting and slowly add in the flour. Slowly drizzle in the butter mixture and mix until combined. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour, and up to 12.
4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
5. Scoop a spoonful of batter into the center of each madeleine mold so that they are about 3/4 full (I used a small cookie scoop that holds about 2 teaspoons of dough). Do not spread the batter out!
6. Bake the madeleines for 9 minutes, or until they are plump and the underside is golden.
7. Tilt the madeleines onto a cooling rack. When cool enough to handle, dip into the glaze (recipe below) and then place back onto the rack to cool completely.

for the glaze:

1. Add the milk and lavender buds to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat; cover and allow to steep for 1-2 hours.
2. Place the confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl. Strain the lavender/milk mixture in to the sugar. Whisk until smooth.

***Okay, okay, let’s get to what you were actually waiting for— the free stuff!***

The winner of the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookie Mix two-pack from Facebook is:

–Brandy Robinson–

The winner of the Momofuku Milk Bar single Corn Cookie Mix from the comments is:

Congratulations, you two!!!

I will email and/or Facebook the winners for the addresses where they would like to receive their mixes.