French Madeleines - Fill the Cookie Jar

French Madeleines are they a cookie or a cake?  These yummy morsels are perfect treat to have with your afternoon tea or coffee or even use them for a delicious dessert.

                    French Madeleines                    

This month's Fill the Cookie Jar theme is healthy or a cookie that makes you think of a new start.  I am not sure that these cookies fit either theme but they are delicious and worth making.

I had found a madeleine pan a while back for $3... yes  $3 and it now I think it is one of my best purchases.  I made this recipes three times over the holidays and each time I have changed the flavour so I feel that I have a new cookie each time I make them.  These yummy cookies or cakes work wonderfully as a light dessert with some whipped cream and fruit.

I found this recipe on Discover - A Blog by World Market.  The Honey Vanilla recipe I think is just perfect.. not to sweet and you can add different spices to make them your own.  The first batch I made I added cardamom and then I decided to add anise (my favorite flavor) ~ I thought these spices were perfect for the holidays.  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter melted and cooled

1/4 sugar (I use zulka morena pure cane sugar)

2 tbsp honey

1 tsp vanilla (I used anise extract when I used anise)

2 eggs

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 tsp anise or cardamom

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Butter Madeleine pan (I used PAM)

Melt butter and set aside to cool.

Once butter is cool, add sugar and mix well.

Add honey, vanilla and eggs.  Mix well.

In another bowl mix flour, baking powder and either anise or cardamom.

Mix dry and wet ingredients just until they are well incorporated.

Spoon batter into mold, tap pan against counter to remove bubbles.
Let sit for 5 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
Cool on wire rack.
Dust with powdered sugar.

Note:  For one batch I used orange sweet finishing sugar and cardamom.  I think you could use some orange zest and orange flavouring.  I also mixed this recipe by hand... no mixer needed.

The original recipe said to mix the dry and wet ingredients and let stand for 5 minutes.  I found that it was easier to spoon the batter into the mold and let stand for 5 minutes.

I can't wait to try a few different flavours, I am thinking the next one will use lemon.. What spices or flavours would you use?

Fill the Cookie Jar with Biscoff Chai Cookies

Can you believe that it is already November?  The only great thing about the beginning of the month that it is time to Fill the Cookie Jar again.  This month's theme is Thanksgiving.  Do you have a favorite cookie that you serve on Thanksgiving?

M&M Candy Corn Cookie Bars to #fillthecookiejar

I can't believe that it has been a month ago since I was writing up my post for Fill the Cookie Jar. These months are passing by so quickly.  October is one of my favorite months.. I love all the autumn colours and the crispness in the air. It is also the month of Halloween.  I am not so much  a Halloween person but I love all the Halloween candy that have been floating around.  My favorite being Candy Corn.

Fill the Cookie Jar with Healthy Pumpkin Unbakes

Fall makes me think of leaves turning colours, cooler weather (although we haven't had too much warm weather here), pumpkins, apples and bunny hugs.   September brings fall and it is also Health awareness month.  So why am I talking about fall and health because it is Fill the Cookie Jar time and I am bringing health and fall together.

Fill the Cookie Jar with Thimble Cookies

Are you a procrastinator like me?  I am such a procrastinator.. once again I left my Fill the Cookie Jar post until the last minute.  You would think I would get them done a head of time.. but no, last day busy baking and fingers crossed that my cookies turned out....

Flower Cookies for Momma ~ #fillthecookiejar #mothersday

It's time to fill the cookie jar again... and mine is getting a bit empty.  This month's theme is mom's favorite cookies... Although that it isn't really what I did as I was thinking the theme was cookies for mother's day

Fill the Cookie Jar with Bird's Nest Cookies #fillthecookiejar

 April is here and so is spring...  Well maybe not so much if I look outside of the windows, but I am pretending.  With spring comes Easter and I love Easter and all the bright colours and candies...

Fill the Cookie Jar with Granola Cookies

It is time to Fill the Cookie Jar and I think mine was empty for a long time... as when I asked hubby what I make his comment was ~~ "You make cookies".  His only suggestion was to make something that wasn't too sweet and I think I fulfilled his request.

Fill the Cookie Jar with Sandtarts

I can't believe that it is time to Fill the Cookie Jar again.  It seems like it was only a few days ago that I filled it with  Pumpkin Chai Biscotti.  This month theme is Holiday.

Pumpkin Chai Biscotti ~ #fillthecookiejar

It is time to Fill the Cookie Jar again.  Mine is getting down to the bottom, so it worked out perfect.  This  month's theme is Thanksgiving.  When I think of Thanksgiving, it is a time of being thankful... Can I be thankful that we don't have snow yet... Well I am, there is snow all around us but thankfully we have only received a small dusting but I do know that there is more to come.  Even though I am thankful that we don't have any snow, I am thankful of the season and the nature that is given to us.. the splendid colours of the fall with the dusting of snow.. Beautiful.

But .... I am getting a bit sidetracked as the snow and the seasons have nothing to do with cookies and I need to Fill the Cookie Jar.  This group was started by Cynthia from Feeding Big .  Each month we are given a theme and we can decide to accept this challenge or not.  As I said before this month theme is Thanksgiving.  When I think of Thanksgiving I think of turkey, dressing and all the fixing ~ Well I didn't think that would make a great cookie but pumpkin pie is a part of Thanksgiving and you need cranberries when you eat your turkey and that is something that I can work with.

I have always wanted to make biscotti and my BBF Marlene from Nosh My Way made some Cracked Pepper Chocolate Chunk Biscotti for one of the Fill the Cookie Jar months and it just made me want to make them even more.  I love biscotti and it is a cookie that is great for dipping either in tea, coffee or hot chocolate.  So, I decided this month I was going to make some with Pumpkin, Chai and Dried Cranberries... They turned out wonderful and every day they even taste better as they get crunchier and the flavours mesh together.  This recipe was adapted from a basic biscotti recipe that I found on  Allrecipes.com.

Pumpkin Chai Biscotti

adapted from Allrecipes.com 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup sugar ( I use Morena Pure Cane Sugar)

1 cup pumpkin

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour ( I used 1 1/4 cup white whole wheat and 2 cups white flour)

1 tbsp baking powder

1/8 cup spiced chai instant powder ( I used Dove Chocolate Discover Spiced Chai)

3/4 cup dried cranberries

coarse sugar (optional)

Salted Caramel Icing (optional)

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup icing sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In mixing bowl, mix together vegetable oil, eggs and sugar.  Add pumpkin and mix well.

In separate bowl mix flour, baking powder and chai powder.

Mix flour mixture into egg mixture until it makes a heavy dough.

Mix in cranberries

Divide dough into two piece and roll out on greased cookie sheet * to the length of the cookie sheet and about 5 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick

Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

Once baked cool off slightly until you are able to cut.  Cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices.  Places slices back on cookie sheet cut side up.

Place bake in oven and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes each side, until lightly toasted.

Once toasted, cool.

While cookies are cooling make Salted Caramel Icing:

In sauce pan melt butter, add milk and brown sugar and bring to boil.  Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat

Add vanilla and icing sugar and mix well.

Drizzle over top of cookies.

Enjoy with a cup of Chai Tea

Writer's Notes:

* I used my baking mats and the cookies stuck slightly to it... I just needed to use a spatula.  Next time I will try parchment paper or a greased cookie sheet to see if it makes any difference.

~ my cookies weren't that hard.  I am thinking after the initial baking it would be better to lower the temperature and leave them in the oven longer or let them dry slightly in the oven when turned off.  Anyone have any suggestions?  They still tasted good but weren't as crunchy as the biscotti I have bought. Everyone that tried them at work said they were good.

Last month I Filled the Cookie Jar with Cobweb Cookies (AKA Lace Cookies).

If you would like to join our group, head over to Feeding Big and fill out  this form.

LINKS: In and Out of the Kitchen, Foodies & Crafties Soirée

Craisin White Chocolate Marshmallow Oatmeal Cookies ~ #fillthecookiejar

I have joined another new facebook group called Fill the Cookie Jar.   This group was started by a good friend, Cynthia from Feeding Big.  Each month we are given a theme and we will have to fill the cookie jar with the cookies we have made.  This month's theme is Kids Favorite/Back to School.  The post will be published on the first of the month.  You do not have to participate every month, which is a nice feature of this group.  If you are interested in joining click on the link:  Fill the Cookie Jar, fill out the form and start baking cookies.. Who doesn't like to bake and eat cookies.

Fill The Cookie Jar

One of my favorite cookies growing up and is still today is Oatmeal Raisin cookies.  I could eat the whole cookie jar.  Last week at work they had Oatmeal Craisin cookies with marshmallows.  I decided that this was going to be my cookie for this month.  I decided to add  some white chocolate, because who doesn't like chocolate in their cookies.  I did some reading about adding marshmallows to your cookies.  One person said to not add them to the dough mixture and just to push them into the center part of the cookies.  I tried that and it got tedious, so I dumped the rest of the marshmallows into the cookie dough and mixed them up.  I tried not to have any marshmallows on the bottom so that they wouldn't stick.  They did work out but the marshmallows melted too much for my liking so next time I will put them in after they have baked about half the time and see what happens.  I will update when I do this.

Craisin White Chocolate Marshmallow Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups oatmeal

2 cups flour (I used 3/4 cup whole wheat and 1 1/4 cup white flour)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1 cup craisin

1/2 cup white chocolate (I used Ghirardelli white chocolate and broke it into pieces)

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows ( I cut my marshmallows in half)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In mixing bowl add butter and sugars.  Mix until smooth. 

Add eggs and beat until thoroughly mixed.

Mix in vanilla.  

In separate bowl mix oatmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.  Slowly add this mixture to butter/sugar mixture and continue to beat until well mixed.  

With mixing spoon mix in craisins and white chocolate.  

Either add marshmallows at this stage or wait until the cookies are on cookie sheet.  

Using cookie scoop drop cookies onto cookie sheet. 

If you haven't added the marshmallows, add a couple of them now.. pressing into cookie dough  

Bake for 10-12 minutes in 350 degree oven.  Let sit on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Links:  Tasty Thursdays, CakeFriday Coffee Klatch