Sugar-glazed Gingerbread Madeleines

As an eternal French kid at heart, French Madeleines are always on my mind. These small tea-cakes (often referred to as cookies in North-America) are elegant, timeless and always sure to please. They’re also suited to any season and any occasion, and invite creativity.

So for this Winter Holiday Season, I wanted to mix them up with an American twist and created these Sugar-Glazed Gingerbread Madeleines. They follow the classic French Madeleine recipe basics, to which I added a handful of rye flour and a typical spicy-yet-not-too-spicy gingerbread spice mix.

This spice blend holds the perfect amount of spiciness – just enough to let the signature butteriness of madeleines shine through (an important feature of the madeleines that you never want to lose). They are also encased in a thin sugar glaze for a little festive note, extra sweetness and pleasing crisp shell. To sum it up, they are simply irresistible.            

They are made in less than 20 minutes and baked in 12 minutes. They’re perfect for cookie-swaps or just to keep within hands reach to go along a warm cup of tea or coffee.

Cooking notes:

• For this recipe, you need a Madeleine pan like this one. It is a little investment worth making if you are interested in French baking.
• It’s important to pre-heat your oven with a large baking sheet in it. When it’s time to insert the Madeleine pan in the oven, place it right on top of the heated baking tray. This will create that initial shock of heat from underneath, which gives the Madeleines their signature little bumped top and crisp bottom shell.

Sugar-glazed Gingerbread Madeleines

Print Recipe

Serves: 12 Madeleines Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: 12 Minutes 12 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 3 voted )

Ingredients

1/3 cup + 2 tbsp (105g) unsalted butter
3 cloves
1 star anise
½ cup (100g) sugar
3 eggs
1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (30g) rye flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp ginger powder
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
For the glaze:
2 cups (200g) icing sugar
5 tbsp (75ml) water

Instructions

Pre-heat your oven to 400°F (205°C), with a rack in the middle and a large baking sheet in it.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter with the cloves and star anise. Once melted, set aside to cool and let infuse.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until foamy.

Fold in the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, rye flour, salt, baking powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg) with the sugar and egg mixture. Mix until just incorporated – the batter will be quite thick. Slowly fold in the melted butter (discard of the cloves and star anise) and stop mixing when just incorporated.

Spoon the batter equally into a 12-cup Madeleine pan, previously greased with melted butter.

Place the madeleine pan in the oven, on top of the pre-heated baking sheet. Bake for 4 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350°F (180°C) and bake for 7-8 minutes more, until the madeleines are puffed and golden.

While the madeleines bake, make the glaze. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the icing sugar with 5 tablespoons (75ml) of water. Whisk until smooth and lump-free.

Transfer the madeleines to a cooling rack. 

Dip each madeleine into the glaze, drain off the excess (let the madeleines drip for a few seconds) and carefully place them back onto the cooling rack to cool and dry. The madeleines will take about 1 hour to dry completely.

They can be kept for up to 3 days, in an air-tight container.

If you try these sugar-glazed Gingerbread Madeleines, let me know!  Leave a comment or share a photo on Instagram tagging @pardonyourfrench or using #pardonyourfrench. I’d love to see what you come up with.  

Bon Appétit!

A recipe inspired by Caroline’s Cooking and BHG. 

Looking for more French-style Holiday Baking ideas? Try these: 

• Speculoos Cookies, from Alsace
• Almond & Pistachio Crescent Cookies, from Alsace
• Honey & Citrus Spiced Cake, Michalak-Style 
• Quince Pate de Fruit, from Provence
• French Mocha Buche de Noel 
• Chocolate-coated Spritz Cookies from Alsace