Spirit Tree Estate Cidery Snowball Madeleines
This festive update to a French classic is perfect for the holiday season.
A few years ago Spirit Tree owner Tom Wilson was looking for a new Christmas cookie to offer from his bakery – something classic, but not so familiar that it was widely available. He and the baking team shrank a Madeleine down to bite-sized, added a lightly boozy filling and topped it with coconut “snow.” Makes 12 to 18 2-inch Madeleines.
Spirit Tree Estate Cidery Snowball Madeleines
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- ¾ cup white sugar
- zest of 1 large lemon
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 11⁄3 cups, all-purpose flour
- ½ cup seedless jam (cherry or raspberry)
- 5 tbsp water
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 cup Baileys Irish Cream (or flavouring of your choice)
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 6–9 glacé cherries
- red glitter sugar (to garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Whip butter, sugar and lemon zest with an electric mixer for 5 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, adding vanilla last. Sift in flour and stir to a smooth batter.
- Scoop the mixture into greased muffin tins or silicone pans. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the topping, combine jam with water over medium heat while whisking until it comes to a simmer. Continue to cook 2 more minutes. Pour into a shallow bowl and set aside.
- To make the filling, beat whipping cream with sugar until soft peaks form. Fold in Baileys Irish Cream.
- To assemble, use a serrated knife to cut off the dome of each cake, then carefully scoop out a small portion of the middle using a melon baller or teaspoon.
- Pipe a little filling into each and replace the dome. Freeze 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and roll in jam mixture and then coconut to cover completely. Top each with half a glacé cherry rolled in red glitter sugar.