Strawberry Madeleines

My husband absolutely loves Madeleines! Whenever we go to Costco he has to pick up a box of them. Honestly, I can't say that I blame him... They buttery cookie with a soft inside and slightly crisp exterior is perfection.

When his Birthday rolled around on March 14th, I knew just what to make him... These strawberry Madeleines. They use a fresh strawberry puree for a pop of pink and butter... Lot's of butter. Please invest in one of these pans, it's so worth it!

For the Madeleines:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup strawberry puree (make this with 1 cup strawberries, 1 Tablespoon sugar, and a splash of water)
9 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease your Maeleine pan with cooking spray or shortening, set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar with the lemon zest until fragrant. Beat in the eggs until light and creamy, approx 5 minutes.
Gently mix in the flour a little bit at a time, just until combined.
Add in the melted butter and mix just until incorporated.
Add in the strawberry puree. If you're looking for a stronger strawberry flavor, add a dash of strawberry flavoring or if you want them more red in color, add a dash of red food coloring.
Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
When time is up, scoop the dough into the molds, roughly 1 Tablespoon in size.
Place in the center of your oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and cooked through. Cool on a wire rack and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

These cookies are great by themselves, fantastic with a bowl of chocolate ice cream, or dipped in a cup of coffee (my favorite way). Enjoy!



*recipe adapted from Coffee and Crumpets

Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake

Hello blogging world! I can't believe it's been almost two months since my last post... For some reason, I lost the love of blogging. I was uninspired by ideas and have been busy working on a better me. I've officially turned into a Gym/Zumba addict (in the most healthy way possible, of course) and just didn't know how to fit in decadent treats. I also didn't want to load the blog with "healthy" things and scare you all away with words like "flax meal" and "chia seeds"!

So, I may have some posts in the future with healthy treats or dinner ideas but for now, I will stick to what I know... And hopefully shove food in everyone else's face while I eat one (OK, maybe 3) slices... All in moderation, right?

With Spring right around the corner and us all moving forward in time, I wanted a recipe with a fun pop of flavor. I found a delicious recipe for this bread over at Chef in Training and knew I had to make it... Who doesn't like the lemon and blueberry combo? This bread is moist and I love the slight zing of lemon and pops of blueberry... It's the bomb.com, y'all.

For the Bread: 
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 large eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups fresh blueberries

For the Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon zest
2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2-9x5" loaf pans with parchment paper; grease and lightly flour, set aside.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla until creamy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.
In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Now, add in the dry ingredients to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, being sure to start and end with the buttermilk, mix until just combined. Gently stir in the blueberries.
Divide batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans and bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the bread cool for 15 minutes in the pan before inverting on to a cooling rack to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the ingredients for your glaze. Pour glaze evenly over the 2 loaves, allowing it to drip down the sides. Allow the glaze to harden on the top of the loaves and then slice and serve... Enjoy!

I am in love with the buttery bread, the pops of blueberry, and the tangy glaze... It's the perfect combo!