chocolate nutella madeleines.

I took the recipe for these madeleines from my new cookbook, Baking by Flavour, and changed it slightly. For one, they were supposed to be double chocolate madeleines, meaning having chocolate chips folded into the batter, but I had no chocolate chips in the fridge (criminal) and I was too lazy to chop up a bar of chocolate. But I did have a jar of nutella. Ding ding ding! I decided to add a dollop of nutella into the center of each batter-filled madeleine crevice to make nutella-filled chocolate madeleines instead.

I didn't manage to cover up the nutella completely with batter so the exposed parts formed a crust of sorts that was a little crunchy. But the nutella that managed to remain hidden was molten. I kind of liked the contrast. You have to be careful not to burn the nutella if leaving it exposed though, because of its sugar content.

P.S. I should stock up on nutella chips!

The batter for these madeleines are actually made using a regular creaming method for cakes. This is unlike the typical sponge-cake batter. Personally, I prefer this method because the madeleines remain moist. The sponge-cake method usually yields madeleines that are a little more on the dry side, serving their purpose for dipping into tea or coffee. The chocolate flavour is intense and bittersweet, and the crumb is tightly knit.

They are a hell of a delicious tiny flavour bomb.

Chocolate Nutella Madeleines
slightly adapted from Baking by Flavour by Lisa Yockelson
makes 24

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp cake flour
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp non-alkalized cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
7 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup + 3 tbsp sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, melted
nutella

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour madeleine pans.

Sift the cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together.

In a bowl, cream the butter for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another minute. Add the eggs one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and melted chocolate. Stir in the flour mixture and let the batter stand for 3 minutes to thicken.

Spoon a small amount of batter into each mold and add a small dollop of nutella into the center. Cover up the nutella with more batter. Bake for about 12 minutes or until done.