Chocolate Madeleines

According to Wikipedia, a madeleine or petite madeleine is a customary sweet from Commercy, a town of the Meuse département in northeastern France. Madeleines are known by their attractive shell-like shape, which is obtained from being baked in special pans with shell-shaped depressions. Madeleines are cake-like and quite small. The taste is comparable to, but a bit lighter than, pound cake, with distinct butter-and-lemon taste. The Madeleine’s can be made in different flavors including vanilla, lemon, orange, and chocolate. Madeleine pans can be found, even in many places in the United States. Specialty and gourmet cooking stores are all but certain to carry them. If not, there are many websites through which they can be purchased

For my very first time making madeleines, I have to admit they came out pretty good and very easy to make. This recipe was adapted from the cookbook The seven sins of chocolate.

Makes approximately 30 madeleines
1 cup+2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons wildflower honey
1/3 cup milk
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid

Prepare the madeleine batter 24 hours in advance
Heat butter in a pan until it turns a light nut-brown color.
Set aside to cool to lukewarm. Beat the eggs, sugar, honey, and milk with an electric mixer until well combined. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Add to the egg mixture and stir well. Mix in the warm butter and melted chocolate. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
The next day, preheat the oven to 425F. Lightly butter and flour the madeleine molds (unless they are the nonstick variety). Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the batter into each mold. Bake until the madeleines have formed their distinctive hump and are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Unmold onto a wire cake rack and cool completely.