Green Tea / Matcha Madeleines

The original plan was to make lemon madeleines, but I was out of lemon extract and only had half of a lemon (not enough for peel). So yellow became green and we’ve got matcha madeleines instead. I don’t know if Proust would have approved, but my non-allergic son certainly does.

3 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons TPT (tant-pour-tant)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon matcha powder
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled (if you have time to brown the butter a bit, do so)

Additional melted butter for brushing pans, or cooking spray
Flour for dusting pans

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Whisk flour, sugar, lemon zest, matcha powder and TPT in a bowl. Whisk butter, vanilla, extract, eggs, and lemon juice in another bowl. Pour butter mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk well until thoroughly combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush madeleine tin with melted butter and dust lightly with flour. Fill with small balls of madeleine batter (I used my medium-sized ice cream scoop) — it should be sticky but quite firm, not really pourable. Bake for 15 minutes or so — as the madeleines bake they will fill the mold but the characteristic madeleine hump will remain in the center. The madeleines are done when the edges are lightly browned and edges pull away from the pan, just like when you’re baking a cake. Turn out onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes, turning once if you like. Dust with confectioner’s sugar just before serving. These things, somewhere in between cake and cookie, are lovely with tea or coffee. Some folks like it the next day even better, when it gets a little stale and is perfect for dipping.