MARSHMALLOW FLUFF-FILLED BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE GANACHE-DIPPED CHOCOLATE MADELEINES

marshmallow fluff-filled bittersweet ganache-dipped chocolate madeleines

What a mouth-full! Will these madeleines trigger an involuntary memory in Proustian fashion?

These chocolate madeleines from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook Baking: From My Home to Yours, were quite easy to make. The hardest part was waiting for the batter to rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours. After the requisite 3 hours, I took it out and proceeded to scoop it into the prepared madeleine pan.

Geez it was a stiff batter! It was the consistency of a cookie dough. I thought it was supposed to be more like a cake. My previous madeleine attempts with other recipes did not yield such a thick dough. I should have formed the batter into little oblong balls. I just plopped them raggedly from the spoon, thinking that the batter would just melt into the grooves of the pan.

No way. The batter didn't melt. Some of the baked madeleines were kind of lumpy and ragged-looking at the edges. These were the ones that I had not as neatly formed with a spoon. That being said, I guess it doesn't really matter in this case because I was going to stuff and dip them anyway.

It's always nice to have pretty-looking naked chocolate madeleines too though.

Bebe scarfed down her freshly-made madeleine. The marshmallow fluff was miniscule... I would have liked more filling in there. I was hoping for a ding-dong-sized portion of filling. Oh well. Next time I'll try to ram more filling in. The baked madeleines are pretty dense though and were not easy to fill so I suppose I'd have to dig out some of the interior to get more space for filling!

individually nestled in cupcake liners & ready to go to work tomorrow for sharing with staff!

Sorry for the overexposed pictures. It was late at night and I was too tired to take my madeleines down to my cardboard box food-porn "studio" for proper lighting! neah.

Here's the recipe if you're so inclined.

Fluff-filled Chocolate Madeleines

from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

For the Madeleines
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t baking powder
pinch of salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t pure vanilla
3/4 stick (6 T) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Marshmallow fluff, for filling and frosting

For the Dip
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 T unsalted butter, at room temperature

To Make the Madeleines:

• Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together
• Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until pale and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Beat in the vanilla extract, then switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter.
• Put a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the batter and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or for up to 2 days. Chilling the batter gives you a better chance of getting the characteristic hump on the back of the cookies.
• Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously butter 12 full-size madeleine molds, dust the insides wiht flour and tap out the excess. Butter and flour or spray the pan even if it is nonstick; skip this step if you are using a silicone pan. Place the pan on a baking sheet.
• Spoon the batter into the molds.
• Place the pan in the oven and immediately lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes, or until they feel springy to the touch. Remove the pan from the oven and rap one side of the madeleine pan against the counter--the plump little cakes should come tumbling out. Gently pry any reluctant cookies out with your fingers or a butter knife. Cool to room temperature on a rack.

To Fill the Madeleines:

• Fit a small pastry bag with a small plain tip and spoon the fluff into the bag. Use the point of the tip to poke a hole in the rounded (plain) side of each madeleine, and pipe enough fluff into each cookie to fill it--stop when the fluff reaches the top of the cake. (You'll use only a bit of fluff).

To make the Dip:

• Put the chocolate in a small deep heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a full boil, then pour it over the chocolate. Wait for 1 minute, then gently whisk the cream into the chocolate: start at the centre and slowly work your way out in concentric circles until you have a smooth, shiny mixture. Gently whisk in the butter.
• Line a small baking sheet with wax paper. One by one, hold a madeleine at its narrow end and dip it into the chocolate, then lift it up, let the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl and place smooth side down on the wax paper. Slide the baking sheet into the refrigerator to set the glaze, about 15 minutes (You'll have more ganache than you need, but making a larger quantity produces a better ganache. The leftover dip can be covered and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for up to 1 month.)
• If you'd like, pipe a little squiggle of fluff on the top of each madeleine once the chocolate is set.

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