Madeleines.

After a day at the beach, the kiddies were pretty much exhausted from all the play they had. The weather has been extremely nice, and they both love to sunbathe. Although, it has been extremely hot over the past few days and they would retreat to the nearest shade they can find. Anyway, they ended up swimming in the bathtub back at my apartment later that evening (there was sand up Trooper's nose).

When they were done bathing, I decided to have another attempt at making madeleines. I recently found out that these are, perhaps, Alan's favorite cookie, ever. I never really knew what madeleines were, since I cannot recall if I have ever seen these scalloped shaped cookies in a bakery. I did a little research on these mysterious cookies and found that madeleines originated in France and dates way back when Louis XV was still breathing. Go figure. I was not surprise to hear that this is a French cookie, since the French has all sorts of fancy shmancy goodies. I like it.

The scalloped goodies even was mention in the novel by Marcel Proust in Remembrance of Things Past. "...She sent out for one of those short, plump little cakes called 'petites madeleines', which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted scallop of a pilgrim's shell....... An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses....".

Wow. That is really intense for a cookie! So after thorough research, I scoured all over the internet, read a bagillion reviews to find the perfect pan to make Alan's favorite cookie. Alan then promptly ordered them online and selected 2-day shipping, so I won't bug him when will the pans get here. I was a woman on a mission to make the perfect madeleines since Alan has never had fresh baked ones before. He's one of my favorite people to feed.

Anyway, I found several recipes for madeleines and it is actually a really simple and easy recipe! I decided to give it a go and they turned out gorgeous! I've posted a picture and turned the cookie around so you can see their beautiful scalloped bellies. You can dust these with powdered sugar, but unless you're serving them immediately, I would suggest not to, since the sugar will just sink into the cookies over time. They don't really remind me of a cookie, it reminds me more of a cake, pretty spongelike, but still cakey. These cookies are a huge hit with the guys, but I still couldn't grasp the concept of why these were so "amazing" to Alan. Well I made them again, and this time, they turned out close to perfect. The whole entire batch. I ate 4 in a matter of 4 minutes!

Madeleines go great with coffee or tea (I actually am eating some along with a cup of chamomile tea while I'm writing this post) and their dense, buttery richness with strong hints of lemon intertwined with vanilla , is truly a luxury without overloading your taste buds. They're simple, yet elegant at the same time. Alan's right when he said "I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't like a madeleine." I'm going to make 2 dozen specifically for him when he visits. After all, he did buy me the pans.