Another French inspired dessert because…why not? Oh, and a freshly baked Madeleine is a thing of joy. Coated in chocolate though is NEXT LEVEL and this clever trick for coating your madeleines may just be genius.

They’re so easy to make and you can get ahead with preparation right up until baking stage. You don’t even have to dip these; the madeleines are absolutely delicious on their own and super yummy when still warm, but I like to let them cool down and coat them in chocolate.

However, you make yours I hope you and the people you make them for enjoy them as much as me.

Have a look at Darren's YouTube for a visual on how these are done. HERE

Makes: 12

Madeleine batter

Orange & honey syrup

Dark chocolate

45 g Unsalted butter

2 Eggs

75 g Caster sugar

10 g Soft light brown sugar

15 g Honey

pinch Salt

90 g Plain flour

2.5 g Baking powder

1. Preheat an oven to 190°C and brush a silicone madeleine tray.
2. In a small saucepan, cook the butter to a light nutty brown color, whisking occasionally. Remove from the heat and strain the butter through a sieve into a small bowl.
3. Use an electric mixing machine or handheld beater to beat the eggs, sugar, honey and salt. Continue to beat until the mixture becomes pale and doubles in volume.
4. Sieve the flour with the baking powder and gently fold this into the batter followed by the nut butter.
5. Rest the batter for a minimum of a couple of hours in the fridge before spooning or piping the mixture into the moulds and baking for 15 – 18 minutes or until golden & cooked. The sponge should spring back when pushed lightly with the tip of your finger.
6. Brush lightly with the syrup (see below) and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

* This batter works best if you make it the day prior to baking.

150 ml Honey

100 ml Water

½ Orange, fine zest

1. Bring the ingredients to boil in a small saucepan and allow it to infuse for 30 minutes before straining the syrup into a jug.

200 g Dark chocolate

1. Place all of the chocolate into a plastic bowl, do not use glass as it retains too much heat.
2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on high temperature at no more than 20-30 second intervals, stir well in-between using a heat resistant spatula.
3. Melt the chocolate until you have 50% melted and 50% unmelted. Continue stirring without applying any additional heat. It may take a few minutes for all the solid chocolate to melt. Stir continuously during this time.
4. If the chocolate has not quite melted completely, apply gentle heat with a hair drier or paint stripper gun. Stir again.
5. The chocolate will be ready to use.
6. Place into a piping bag and pipe around 10 g of chocolate into the cavity of a cleaned and cooled madeleine tray.
7. Push the cooked madeleine back into the mould to squash the chocolate into the mould.
8. Leave to set and demould.