Gingerbread Madeleines. Delicate, cake-like cookies infused with the flavors of gingerbread! A perfect treat for your holiday dessert table.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Barleans, as a part of my ongoing partnership as part of their Blogger Team. As always, all opinions here are my own.
Christmastime makes me feel like being fancy. It makes me want to decorate my house like a page out of the Pottery Barn holiday catalog, wrap gifts in pretty paper with real ribbon, and light the expensive candles that smell heavenly. It makes me want to wear a cozy flannel checked shirt and don ankle boots, and wear red lipstick. {And I never wear lipstick.} It makes me want to have the table perfectly set at all times, cook gorgeous platters of mouthwatering foods and drink everything out of a champagne glass. {Except for maybe coffee because that would be weird and slightly dangerous.}
But real life is hardly glamorous, no matter the season. I can’t burn candles until my two-year-old goes to bed for fear that he will singe his little fingers {or accidentally burn down the house}. I’m lucky if I get regular food {that everyone agrees to eat} on the table let alone anything spectacular between the hustle and bustle of daily life and the many events that arise this time of year. And the flannel and boots? Well, highs are in the 80’s, so I don’t think that’s very practical. I could very well wear red lipstick but that might be a bit much for a trip to the grocery store or the playground.
Sometimes, you have to “fake” fancy. Settle for decent Christmas decor with a dash of Tonka trucks and wooden train tracks strewn about. Drink out of a festive, dishwasher-safe mug. Add a few drops of warm, spice-scented essential oils to the diffuser. Maybe wear a little tinted lip gloss if you’re really feeling wild. ‘Tis the season {of life}.
Luckily, fanciness is always fair game in the kitchen. If you’re going to bake, you might as well bake to impress, especially when you’re giving the finished product away as gifts or displaying them on a dessert table.
Madeleines always seem elegant to me because of their beautiful shape and delicate texture. They make me think of tea parties and French things, which are almost always fancy in nature. But, like other distinguished things, they can also be sort of a pain to make if you’re following classic techniques.
These Gingerbread Madeleines are not made in the classic way, but you certainly couldn’t tell by looking at them thanks to the dainty shape they take from being baked in a madeleine mold. The recipe is really more like that of a muffin {and if you prefer to make them in mini muffin tins, I don’t see why they wouldn’t work} and there’s even a twist on one of the main traditional ingredients: butter. Though Madeleines are notoriously buttery, these don’t contain an ounce! I substituted Barlean’s new butter-flavored coconut oil for the real stuff… and no one would be the wiser!
Dusted with a sprinkle {or a torrential downpour} of powdered sugar, the only thing anyone will notice is how delightful they taste. Like a lavish little bite of Christmas without the highfalutin. Sounds like my kind of “fancy.” <3
Gingerbread Madeleines
