Brown Butter Madeleines with Rose Glaze

These Brown Butter Madeleines with Rose Glaze are excellent as dessert for Valentine’s Day! They are little soft cake with a buttery taste and a hint of nuttiness (from the brown butter). Combine with the sweet and aromatic rose glaze, they are perfectly balanced and totally irresistible! 

I’m still recovering from the flu. Unfortunately, I got Bryan sick too. We had been stuck at home for the past week. It sucks! We are doing much better, but the nasty cough just wouldn’t go away. We had been avoiding desserts or sweets to prevent any cough. Since Valentine’s Day is next week, a little sweet treat no doubt is a must!

This recipe is adapted from Dorie Greenspan. Her vanilla-brown butter madeleines are really excellent! But I want something a little special for Valentine’s Day. The only appropriate way is to dress madeleines up with rose!

If you have worked with rose extract or water before, you must know that rose extract is STRONG and tricky to get it right. Too much is like eating perfume. Too little can be too mild. My first idea was to add the extract into the madeleine batter. However, that didn’t work so well. The rose extract took over all the flavors in the madeleine, and the classic madeleine buttery flavor was no where to be found. Pretty disappointing. So this time, I kept the madeleines as they are. Instead of going with the traditional lemon zest madeleines, I kept Dorie’s brown butter. The nutty and almost savory flavor is very nice in the madeleines. Unlike the lemon zest, brown butter wouldn’t compete with the rose flavor. The madeleines came out perfectly puffed and golden brown. Then I made a glaze with rose extract and dipped in the madeleines. The flavors were spotted on! The little cakes were buttery with a hint of nuttiness from the brown butter. Then you get the aromatic rose flavor, subtle but present. I can’t ask for a better outcome! They are excellent as dessert or afternoon snack.

One thing to keep in mind. The madeleine batter needs to be chilled for about 2 – 3 hours in the fridge in the mold. What I like to do is made the batter before I started cooking dinner. Preheat the oven while eating dinner, and bake right after dinner. Let the goodies to cool slightly and dip into glaze. They are ready to be served!

Enjoy! And have a sweet Valentine’s Day with your loved one!

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5 from 2 votes

Brown Butter Madeleines with Rose Glaze

Course Afternoon Tea, Dessert

Cuisine French

Keyword afternoon tea, baking, brown butter, dessert, madeleine, rose

Servings 12 madeleines

Author Lokness

Ingredients

• 7½ tablespoons unsalted butter (106 grams, cut into cubes), plus ½ tablespoon for the pan
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (91 grams), plus more for the pan
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup sugar (67 grams)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon milk

Rose Glaze:

• ¾ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 - 2 tablespoons drinking water
• ½ teaspoon rose extract
• Pink food coloring (optional)

Instructions

• Brush or rub the madeleine pan with a thin layer of ½ tablespoon softened butter. Dust with flour and tap out extra flour. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a light-colored small pot over medium heat, melt the butter, stirring occasionally. Once the butter has melted, it will start to bubble and foam, stirring occasionally. Soon you will see the milk solids (white spots) at the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring. The butter and the milk solids will start to turn brown. It has a nutty aroma. Keep a close eye on the milk solids until they are just dark brown, but not black. The butter should be amber in color. Carefully transfer the butter to a small heatproof bowl. Measure out 6 tablespoons for use. Set aside and let it cool.
• In a large mixing bowl, add sugar and eggs. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Add vanilla extract, salt and honey. Whisk until combined. Add flour and gently blend everything together. Finally, gently fold in the brown butter (6 tablespoons) a little at a time. Stir in the milk.
• Fill the molds until almost all the way up to the edge. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface. Transfer to the fridge and chill for 2 – 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400˚F (204˚C). Place a large baking sheet in the oven while heating up. Carefully place the madeleine pan on the hot baking sheet. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until the madeleines are puffed and browned around the edges. The madeleines should spring back when pressed lightly in center. Remove from oven and tap out the madeleines. If needed, use a knife to help. Let them cool slightly before dipping in glaze.
• For the glaze, in a medium bowl, add powdered sugar. Add the milk and 1 tablespoon water. Whisk until smooth. Add more water if the frosting is too thick. Add the rose extract and food coloring (if using), whisk again. Dipped the madeleines head in to get 1/3 covered. Lay them on a parchment paper to set, about 20 minutes. Serve as soon as possible.

Notes

1. The rose extract I used is from Stay Kay White and I got it from Amazon. You can also use rose water.
2. I got the mold from Amazon. Even though it is a non stick pan, but I still grease my pan with butter and floured it. Just to be safe!
3. The batter can be made 2 days ahead. Cover the batter with a plastic wrap by pressing down to the surface. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
4. Madeleines do not store well at room temperature. It is best to enjoy within the same day. But you can freeze them. First, wrap them in plastic wrap individually. Then freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in 350˚F (177˚C) oven for a few minutes.

(Adapted from Dorie’s Cookies)

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