Sun tea and lemonade, they go together like old white men and golf. The Arnold Palmer is my all time favorite drink on a hot day. I should rephrase that, the Arnold Palmer is my all time favorite virgin drink on a hot day. It's crisp, refreshing and incredibly thirst quenching so it's no wonder why this was Mr. Palmer's drink of choice when he was putting around on the green.
Since moving to Santa Barbara in August, I am surrounded by these affluent, resorty, Tommy Bahama, Titleist toting, Arnie Palmer types, thanks to the sizable retirement age demographic here. As an outsider who definitely doesn't fit this archetype, it has been a bit of a (lack of) culture shock for me. I realize I am quite literally on their turf, so I can't really complain.
The good news is, they are all extremely friendly. A little too friendly, in fact. The thing is, I get hit on (strangely, a lot) by AARP card carriers. Not the charming, handsome silver fox, Roger Sterling type, but more of the Wilfred Brimley riding through a diabetes commercial on a horse variety. I've always been told I have an old soul, maybe that explains it. Or, could I be putting out some kind of geriatric vibe and smell of ointments and soup?
It's weird how it happens, too. They always start by complimenting me on my outfit; more specifically my shoes. I kindly thank them as they try to get a conversation going, but the 45+ year age gap makes it challenging. It usually escalates to a slightly inappropriate outburst and me feeling rather uncomfortable as I shuffle away. Once, I was even gifted a vintage pinup calendar because the man said I reminded him of the the Miss January, Nineteen Forty-Something. I don't see it.
Maybe it's something that comes with age? Like they get to a point where they just don't give a F anymore and say whatever comes to mind. Or maybe I actually look a heckuvalot older than I am and I get mistaken for a peer. I hope it's not the latter, I am not ready for sweater sets and Easy Spirits.
Turning a lemon party into lemonade, I've come up with this pucker perfect recipe for Arnold Palmer Madeleines that's irresistible at any age.
Recipe
Arnold Palmer Madeleines
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 5
Description
These Arnold Palmer Madeleines are soft cakey tea cookies infused with citrusy lemon & refreshing iced tea flavors, a sunny sweet on & off the golf course.
Ingredients
Madeleines
- eggs at room temperature - 2 large
- granulated sugar - ½ cup
- pure vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
- fresh lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
- finely grated lemon zest - 1 tablespoon
- all purpose flour - 1 cup
- baking powder - 1 teaspoon
- salt - ½ teaspoon
- unsalted butter at room temperature - 8 tablespoons
- honey - 1 tablespoon
- black tea - 2 teabags
Glaze
- powdered sugar - sifted - ½ cup
- fresh lemon juice - 1-2 tablespoons
- instant tea powder - ½ teaspoon
Instructions
- Place the eggs in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium-high speed, adding the sugar a little at a time, until all the sugar is incorporated. Turn the mixer to high and whisk until the eggs have doubled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and stir in the vanilla and lemon juice, lemon zest and honey, followed by the flour baking powder and salt. Cover the bowl and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the tea bags and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and reserve 2 tablespoons of the butter for brushing the pans. Allow the butter to cool for 20-30 minutes.
- Stir in the butter (rewarm slightly to liquefy, if necessary) stirring until smooth. Cover the batter and allow to rest for an additional 30 minutes or up to an hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°. In 2 madeleine molds, brush 16 shell indentations with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Using about 1 ½ tablespoons, fill each indentation in the molds three-quarters full with batter. Slightly moisten the tip of your finger with water to spread the batter evenly into the shells and smooth out the top. Additionally, tap the pan on the counter to distribute the batter evenly.
- Bake until deep golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for about 3 minutes, and then tip them out onto a cooling rack.
- While the madeleines are cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar and instant tea powder. Then slowly whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice until a smooth, slightly runny consistency is reached. The glaze should slowly run off the whisk in a smooth ribbon.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly glaze the tops of the madeleines and place on the cooling rack until the glaze has set. Enjoy with an Arnold Palmer on a green patch of grass, naturally.
Notes
*Madeleines taste best fresh so either enjoy right away or store in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days.
* This recipe is for mini madeleines, however you can substitute for regular sized madeleines by adding a couple of minutes to the bake time. Yield: about 5 dozen mini or 16 large madeleines.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
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