spring treats #3: Lemon Madeleines

with spring and summer fast approaching, i have been dying to start making lemon desserts.

i love the sweet and sour flavor and you can bet your bottom that come june and july, i will be whipping up lemon desserts like it's my job.

lemon treats are so refreshing in the spring and summer, it's almost like they don't count as a dessert (so of course i gourge myself in all sorts of lemony pleasures).

i first saw a recipe for madeleines a couple months ago on Cupcakes and Cashmere, and i knew i had fallen in love.

these french cookies looked soft and delightful, and i absolutely love the seashell shape.

where had i been that i didn't even know they made madeleine molds?!

as soon as i saw the little butter cakes, i knew i had to make them. i couldn't get them off my mind!

so when Chin's Nana&Papa gave me a Williams-Sonoma gift card for my birthday, i did not hesitate in thinking about what i was going to get.

my madeleine mold came today and what did i do? whip out my very first batch of Lemon Madeleines, adapted from Martha Stewart.

can you say adorable?

these tiny cakes are light and moist, and oh so sophisticated.

Lemon Madeleines 

adapted by Martha Stewart

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted

1/2 c. flour (i wish i had used normal flour instead of wheat)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

3/4 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. grated lemon zest

2 tbsp. lemon juice (juice of about 1-2 lemons)

confectioners sugar for dusting

mix together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) in a separate bowl and set aside. in an electric mixer, mix eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice on medium-high speed until pale and thickened (5 minutes). mix in melted butter. Using a spatula, fold in flour mixture into egg mixture. Let rest 30 minutes.

Pour batter into buttered/greased pans, about 3/4 full. bake cookies for 7-9 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are crisp and golden. Let cool in pans until almost cooled, then invert molds. dust with confectioners sugar, and enjoy!

(yields 2 dozen cookies)

have a great weekend. :)