Coconut Madeleines

I've been re-reading "My Life in France" by Julia Child and enjoying it immensely so last night I watched "Julie & Julia" again.  I loved it (maybe because I like food so much or maybe it is that amazing Meryl Streep) and so I really felt the need to make something a la Francaise today.  That's why you are looking at a beautiful plate of coconut madeleines. How do you say "scrumptious" in French?

Ingredients

3/4 lb of butter

3 large eggs

2/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat your oven to 375 and start by melting your butter in the microwave.  Then let it cool to almost room temperature or you will have scrambled eggs.  In the Kitchenaid stand mixer (or bowl with hand mixer but life is easier with a Kitchenaid), beat the eggs (please remove those nasty white umbilical cords attached to the yolk - it's terrible to get a hard stringy little piece in your mouth when you bite into one of these delicate cakey cookies).  Add the vanilla and sugar and beat until it is pale and creamy and fluffy.

This is one of the few recipes I will give you that require a special piece of "equipment".  You really need a madeleine pan.  Some recipes tell you that you can use a muffin tin but don't bother.  You really need the pans to give the madeleines their lovely little shell shape.  You can buy them at most kitchenware stores fairly cheaply - I got mine at Stokes.  This recipe makes 24 madeleines so I had to bake two batches (but it does seem a little excessive to own 2 madeleine pans).

Once you have achieved light and fluffy, slowly add the butter while the paddle is beating on the lowest setting.  Next mix all the dry ingredients together (I do this in a 4-cup measuring cup so I don't have another bowl to wash) and then slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture.  I spray the pan and spoon just enough batter into each of the little shells.

Bake to about 12 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.  Cool on a rack and then dust with icing sugar.  Lovely tea-time treat. As Julia said, Bon Appetit!