On the eighth day of Christmas, Jena’s Tiny Kitchen gave to you, Pumpkin Spice Madelines, Italian Crescent Cookies, Booze-free Brandy Snaps, Florentines, Coconut Macaroons, Peppermint Pinwheels, Rice Krispie Treats and Snickerdoodle cookies.

Madelines are notorious for being quite tough to perfect because you want them to be fluffy and cloud-like, but also spongy, and you want them to rise. It’s a delicate balance, one that I am still perfecting.

These madelines do not have a huge hump like some of the madelines you see in professional bakeries, but they did have small ones, and they tasted delicious with the addition of the Pumpkin Spice vanilla extract. You can, of course, use plain vanilla, but a flavoured vanilla is just so much fun to play with.

Ingredients

50 grams unsalted butter
1 large egg
40 grams caster sugar
salt
45 grams plain flour
1 tablespoon Heilala Pumpkin Spice Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1. Melt the butter over a low heat, then leave to coo.
2. Beat the egg, caster sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl until creamy and thick. Sift in the flour and baking powder into the egg mixture.
3. Fold the flour in with a wooden/silicon spoon and add the butter to the mixture, along with the vanilla. Mix well, but gently. Place in the fridge and leave to rest for one hour.
4. Remove the batter from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Preheat the oven to 220°C.
5. Spray your madeline tin with cooking spray, and sprinkle with flour. Fill each madeline mould about 1/3 fill. Place the madeline tin in the oven and bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them, you want to see a rise, and for the madelines to be a lovely golden colour.
6. Remove from the oven when cooked, and allow to cool completely. Arrange on a plate and dust with icing sugar.