Bake light and airy rose pistachio madeleines infused and cardamom. This floral and nutty twist on the classic French madeleine recipe is perfect to enjoy during brunch or tea-time!
I inherited a madeleine pan from a friend, and after four years, Iβm finally putting it to use after going spice shopping and impulsively buying rose petals that smelled amazing! It was decided…. Rose Pistachio Madeleines it is! Classic French madeleines are quite simple with only six ingredients; eggs, butter, flour, sugar, vanilla and baking powder.
These delicate shell-shaped French tea-cakes are made using a madeleine pan that gives madeleines their signature shell-shaped with crispy golden edges and a soft and buttery center. For this recipe we are taking inspiration from Persian desserts for a floral Middle Eastern twist, blending rose, pistachio and cardamom. These spiced rose-scented madeleines are perfect for the afternoon tea.Β
Preparing Light and Airy Madeleine Batter
The secret to making light and airy madeleines is to whip the sugar and eggs until pale and fluffy, what we call the ribbon stage and to gently fold in the dry ingredients to maintain the air in the batter and lastly add cooled melted butter for a shiny and airy batter.
Be careful not to overmix the batter! Overmixing deflated the air from the madeleines and you will end up with dense madeleines. And we really donβt want that.Β
To minimize dishwashing I place the mixing bowl straight into the fridge to chill before baking.
To Chill or Not to ChillΒ
There is quite a debate on whether to chill or not to chill the madeleine batter. But chilling isnβt optional.Β Chilling the batter is part of the traditional French madeleine recipe and also the secret to create the signature madeleine hump. When cold madeleine batter hits the hot pan, the temperature shock causes the edges to crisp out while the center remains cool. This creates steam and forces the batter to rise upward into a beautiful madeleine dome.
How long to chill? One hour is enough and you can also chill overnight to enhance the flavor, especially in this madeleine recipe to enhance the cardamom flavor in the batter.Β
Remember: Airy and chilled batter + Hot oven = Madeleine hump with enhanced flavor!
Preparing the Madeleine Pan
To make sure your madeleines release cleanly from the pan, youβll need to grease and flour your madeleine mold. You can use cooking spray or melted butter with a lightly dust of flour.Β
Pro tip: For a higher madeleine dome, chill your greased and floured madeleine pan in the fridge for about 10 min before filling. Prepare your pan first so that it is cold by the time your batter is ready.
To Pipe or to Scoop Madeleine Batter
For shaping, some bakers like to pipe the madeleine batter into the mold while others scoop it. Iβve tried it both, and scooping is faster and less messy. No piping bag or batter transfer needed. And you arenβt squeezing the batter you spend so much time making airy. Use a 1Β½ tablespoon scoop and scrape excess to not overfill it! To finish, sprinkle ground pistachios on top of the scoops.
Pro tip: Grind unsalted pistachios in a coffee grinder for a perfect consistency.
Baking MadeleinesΒ
Bake the madeleines in a preheated oven at 350Β°F(177Β°C) for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden and you can see the madeleine hump. Take out and release from the pan. They should come out smoothly. Set them in a cooling rack to cool down before glazing.Β
Rose Glazing and Topping
For glazing, you will need to make a heavy version of rosewater sugar glaze. You want it to look rather white and less transparent. Adding milk to it gives it a heavier consistency and white color. Dip the madeleines in rosewater glaze and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals. This step turns them into beautiful floral desserts!
For topping I use Moroccan rose petals since they are edible rose petals and have a strong rose aroma.Β
Pro tip: Crush the rose petals gently with your finger to bring out the rose aroma.
Storing Madeleines
Madeleines are best enjoyed fresh but you can store them for up to 2 days in an airtight container. The texture will change but they will be just as good to eat!
Confession: I ate an entire tray in two days! They are that good!
Do you have other flavor variations you have tried? Or tried this rose pistachio madeleine recipe? Comment or tag @meijustdid I love to seeing all of your creations!Β
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Ingredients
Madaleine batter
- 2 large eggs @ room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 100 g sugar (1/2 cup)
- 100 g unbleached all purpose flour (sifted) (~3/4 cup)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 pinch salt
- 7 tbsp unsalted melted butter (plus one for buttering pan)
Rosewater glaze
- 60 g powdered sugar (~1/2 cup)
- 2 tsp warmed milk
- 1 ΒΌΒ tsp rosewater
Toppings
- 20 g ground raw shelled pistachios
- edible rose petals
Instructions
Prepare the madeleine pan
- Melt 7 tbsp of butter and set aside. Melt an additional 1 tbsp in a separate bowl.
- Butter the madeleine pan with the one tbsp of cooled melted butter, dust with ~1 tbsp of flour. Remove excess by flipping upside and gently tapping. Set in the fridge to chill while preparing the batter.
Make the pistachio madeleine batter
- In a stand mixer with whisk attachment (or with handheld mixer) beat eggs, vanilla and sugar for 5 minutes at high speed until eggs reach ribbon stage, turn pale yellow and fluffy.
- Mix sifted flour, baking powder, cardamom and pink of salt in a separate bowl.
- Carefully fold dry ingredients into whisked eggs with a silicone spatula in two batches until there's no pockets of flour. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
- Add cooled melted butter to the batter and gently fold until silky and shiny. If butter is not cool it will deflate the mix. Careful not to overmix the batter.
- Cover the batter and chill in the fridge for one hour to overnight. ( The longer the better)
Bake the madeleines
- Preheat the oven at 350Β°F (177Β°C).
- Use a medium cookie scoop (1Β½ tbsp) to scoop batter into each madeleine well.
- Top the scooped madeleine batter balls with ground pistachios.
- Bake for 10-12 min or until edges are golden and you can see the madeleine hump.
- Take pan out of the oven and let sit for 3 minutes before removing madeleines out.
- Once 3 min have passed release from the pan. They should come out smoothly.
- Set in a cooling rack to cool down before glazing.Β
Glaze and add toppings
- Mix powdered sugar, warmed milk and rosewater until sugar is dissolved and is glossy. Wait for the glaze to cool down.
- Dip the cooled madeleines into the glaze and top with ground pistachios and slightly crushed edible rose petals.
