Sweet and Petite
Holidays and celebrations always give me the best inspiration for recipes because I love catering to the themes and people. Mother’s Day is coming up, so I wanted to bake up something sweet for my mom and all the other mom’s out there. I know my mom prefers lighter desserts over heavy and indulgent ones, so I thought lemon would be a great flavor to start with. I was also inspired by spring with and its freshness. My my mom is definitely a classy lady that likes nice things, so I wanted a recipe that felt elegant. Altogether, these ideas lead me to create these Lemon Olive Oil Basil Madeleines. They’re a cute and petite treat that will definitely make your mom feel appreciated this Mother’s Day!
Olive Oil Cake But Mini
As elegant as these madeleines look, they’re actually quite simple to make. The most “challenging” part is that you have to have a madeleine pan, which you can easily get in stores or on Amazon. This lemon, olive oil, and basil flavor profile is reminiscent of the flavors in olive oil cakes. I love olive oil cakes so much because they’re sophisticated, simple, and delicious. These Lemon Olive Oil Basil Madeleines are essentially that but mini!
First we start with combining flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. The addition of cornmeal gives the madeleines a slight textural bite. Then the baking powder make them soft and fluffy. Add eggs and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip it on medium speed until it slightly thickens and turns a pale yellow color. Gently fold in the dry ingredients. Make sure you don’t over-mix or mix too aggressively to ensure the madeleines turn out soft and airy. Mix in the lemon zest, basil, olive oil, and vanilla extract. The lemon zest and basil give the madeleines such a lovely aroma. I chose to use only lemon zest in the batter because I wanted the glaze to be full of that zingy, lemon flavor.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter for an hour. When the batter has rested, preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a madeleine pan with cooking spray. To easily add the batter into the molds, I like to transfer it into a piping bag. Cut off the tip and pipe the batter into the molds until they’re about 3/4 of the way full. You can give the tray a slight shimmy to even out the top of the batter. Bake them in the oven for 15-17 minutes until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. My batch of madeleines took about 16 minutes and they were perfect! Allow them to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
In the meantime, we can make the glaze! Add the lemon juice and basil into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave it for 45 seconds then allow the basil to steep in the juice for 5 minutes. Strain the basil out then pour the infused lemon juice into a bowl with the powdered sugar. Mix it together then add in the water and salt to get the right thinness. When the madeleines have cooled, dip the ridged side into the glaze until coated. Allow any excess to drip off so that the glaze is only a thin layer. You should almost be able to see the madeleine through the glaze. Before the glaze dries, garnish them with lemon zest and small basil leaves.
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These Lemon Olive Oil Basil Madeleines are quite possibly the cutest desserts I’ve made for Mother’s Day, and they perfectly capture the flavor profile I was aiming for. They’re not too heavy and have a bright, citrus and herb flavor. The madeleines themselves have a subtle flavor then the lemon basil glaze is where you really get that lemon flavor. Its sweet and tangy in the best way! If you know anyone who loves lemon flavored desserts, this recipe has to be on your list of treats to bake. Let me know what you’re making for Mother’s Day, and if you would try this recipe out!
Looking for more recipes for Mother’s Day? Check These Out!
Strawberry Guava Cheesecake Parfaits
Citrus Avocado Salad with Fried Goat Cheese Balls
Red Wine Chocolate Donuts with a Whipped Cream Cheese Chocolate Ganache
Lemon Olive Oil Basil Madeleines
Ingredients
For the Madeleines:
- ¾ cup All Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Cornmeal
- ¾ tsp. Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp. Kosher Salt
- 2 Large Eggs
- ⅔ cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- ¼ cup Chopped Basil
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
For the Lemon Basil Glaze
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice
- 3 Tbsp Chopped Basil
- 1½ cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ Tbsp Water
- Pinch of Salt
- Lemon Zest (for garnish)
- Basil Leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
For the Madeleines:
- In a bowl, add in the all purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and kosher salt, Whisk until the ingredients are evenly combined. Set aside.
- Add the eggs and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until the mixture slightly thickens and turns a pale yellow color.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and gently fold the batter together until everything is well combined. Then mix in the olive oil, lemon zest, basil, and vanilla extract. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a madeleine mold pan with cooking spray. Transfer the batter into a piping bag and snip off the tip with scissors. Fill each madeleine mold about ¾ of the way. Bake for 15-17 minutes until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the madeleines from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Lemon Basil Glaze:
- Add the lemon juice and chopped basil to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds then let it sit for 5 minutes to allow the basil to infuse. Strain the basil out from the lemon juice, then pour the infused lemon juice into a bowl with the powdered sugar. Whisk until the glaze is combined. Then mix in the water and salt to thin the glaze.
- When the madeleines have completely cooled, dip the ridged side into the glaze until coated. Allow any excess glaze to drip off. You can use the edge of the bowl to scrape off any excess glaze. Place the madeleines, glazed side up, back onto the wire rack to allow more glaze to drip off. Before the glaze dries, garnish it with basil leaves and lemon zest. Repeat this process to glaze and garnish the remaining madeleines. Enjoy!
