Paris meets Seattle in these MarketSpice Tea Madeleines.[/caption]
When most people think of Seattle, rain inevitably comes to mind. Then Starbucks and maybe Microsoft, Nirvana, flying fish and Fraiser's impossible view. I think of MarketSpice Tea
, a cinnamon and orange black tea that's naturally spicy and sweet. MarketSpice Tea is the signature tea of the MarketSpice shop, a popular tourist stop in Seattle's world famous Pike Place Market.
The deep and complex flavor combinations in this tea are comforting to the core. The rich spices and dark tea are the ideal way to stay warm on those famously gray and drizzly Seattle days. Although I no longer live in the PNW, I find myself longing for the creature comforts I normally turn to this time of year. Despite the warm sunshine and 70° weather here in Santa Barbara, sometimes I want to curl up with a heavy blanket and evoke the spirit of winter through familiar flavors; minus the thick layer of pea soup fog and bone chilling rains. Seattle, you're a beautiful gal, but why you gotta be so moody all of the time?
After investing in a bag of loose leaf MarketSpice Tea nearly the size of Mt. Rainer, I figured I should probably find a way to incorporate some of that spicy goodness into baked goods. I landed on a Seattle and French fusion, Orange Spice Tea Madeleines.
The madeleine base of this recipe comes from the ever-inspiring, brilliantly talented pastry chef, David Lebovitz. The guy knows a thing or two about French pastries. From there, I infused the butter with the tea and spices by steeping the orange spice tea in butter. Then, I incorporated the infused butter into the batter and let it rest (as the expert, David Lebovitz, suggests) twice, for an hour. Resting allows the batter to fully develop and gives the shell-shaped Madeleines that famous hump in their trunk.
The light and airy French cake cookies mixed with the deep flavors of the Seattle tea come together in a spicy/sweet, cakey/cookie mashup of sky-high flavors that taste as good as the Eiffel Tower and Space Needle are tall. This recipe for Orange Spice Tea Madeleines makes for a lovely midday snack and pairs perfectly with a simple cup of black tea.
to get that signature shell shape.
Orange spice tea is what gives these madeleines their signature naturally sweet and spicy flavor. Buy it, I promise it's worth it.
, first you'll whip the eggs on medium-high speed, adding the sugar a little at a time, until all the sugar is incorporated.
to high and whisk until the eggs have doubled in volume, 3 to 5 minutes.
pot from the Dansk Kobenstyle line.
and allow to cool before sprinkling them with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
, gently sprinkle the cooled madeleines with powdered sugar.
Recipe
Orange Spice Tea Madeleines
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 16
Description
Orange & cinnamon black spiced tea combines with light and airy French cake cookies in this recipe for Orange Spice Tea Madeleines.
Ingredients
Units
- eggs at room temperature - 2 large
- granulated sugar - ½ cup
- vanilla extract - 1 teaspoon
- all purpose flour - 1 cup
- baking powder - 1 ½ teaspoons
- salt - ½ teaspoon
- unsalted butter - 10 tablespoons
- honey - 1 tablespoon
- MarketSpiceTea (loose or other cinnamon orange flavored tea - 2 heaping tablespoons)
- powdered sugar - 2 tablespoons
- cinnamon - 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.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and stir in the vanilla, 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 loose leaf MarketSpice Tea and allow to seep for 10 minutes. Then strain the loose tea from the butter, it may take 2-3 strains to get rid of all of the tea bits.
- Remove and reserve 2 tablespoons of the butter for brushing the pans. Allow the butter to cool for 20-30 minutes.
- Stir the butter (rewarm to liquefy if necessary) and honey into the batter 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.
- Once the madeleines have slightly cooled down, gently sprinkle them with powdered sugar through a fine mesh sieve or strainer. Followed by a fine dusting of cinnamon.
- Serve warm with fresh black tea or fresh black coffee as a midday snack, breakfast or dessert. Santé.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Cece Leskova says
The tea-infused butter looks awesome!!
beckysue says
Thanks, Cece! It is pretty yummy, it's a smooth and subtle way to infuse the cakes with the spicy sweet flavors.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I love making madeleines and do often make them so this recipe is ideal for me!
beckysue says
Oh goodie, Thalia! I love making them too. Let me know what you think if you try this recipe.
Raquel @ My California Roots says
I just saw a Madeleine recipe in Bon Appetit and decided I need to try some. And here you are, actuallyhaving done it! I'm so inspired. Yours look beautiful, and I love the addition of tea 🙂
beckysue says
Hi Raquel! Thanks for the sweet comment. They are fun to make, you should definitely try them out. If you try this recipe, let me know...I'd love to hear your thoughts. I just checked out your blog, it is gorgeous. I see you're located in the Central California Coast as well, I'm in Santa Barbara! Let's be friends. 😀