The beginning of a new year always brings along with it some time to reflect on all the possibilities that lie ahead. If you find yourself sitting at your kitchen table gazing out the window and ruminating over last year’s accomplishments and this year’s opportunities, you just might enjoy some company. I highly recommend a Chocolate Olive Oil Madeleine to go along with your reverie. Not exactly Proustian, but every bit as delicious and enjoyable and thought-provoking.
The marriage of dark chocolate, extra virgin olive oil and salt is a miraculous one. Somehow these three ingredients have managed a rendezvous that can only be described as a thing of unique beauty. The complex earthy richness of cocoa blended with the rich bright lusciousness of extra virgin olive oil is only brought to a higher level with a generous pinch of salt. To make the best of it, I chose to highlight these ingredients in a simple recipe for madeleines to keep the flavors pure and easy without a lot of extra frill.
The recipe can be assembled in just a few minutes. If you love the sprightly tango of chocolate and fruity olive oil, these petite cakes will brighten your step. Here's to great memories!
Bench notes:
- I used California Olive Ranch Arbosana Extra Virgin Olive Oil for this recipe and it is perfect. It’s refined yet assertive enough to complement the cocoa. The results are really delicious.
- These bake pretty fast, so keep your eye on them. Mine baked in 11 minutes. The cakes should spring back when lightly tapped.
- Salt is very important in chocolate recipes. It really enhances the flavor considerably. I used 1/8 teaspoon of salt in the mixing and then added about half as much again when I tasted the batter. So I recommend that you slowly keep adding salt to taste once you have the batter blended.
- Madeleines are meant to be eaten the same day.
Chocolate Olive Oil Madeleines
1/2 C flour
1/4 C cocoa powder
1/2 t baking powder
1/8 t salt + another generous pinch, to taste
2 eggs @ room temperature
1/2 C sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease a madeleine pan.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Beat the eggs until thoroughly blended. Slowly add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in olive oil. Taste for additional salt.
Scoop into madeleine pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Cool the pan for a few minutes and then flip out the madeleines.
22 comments:
That looks very moist and delicious! Nice with coffee....yumn.
I've been experimenting with madeleines too. I have a really good basic recipe and have made pine nut madeleines and the other day made some with pistachio flour. Yummy.
Your recipe looks wonderful; I have been reading so much about sweets made with olive oil as an ingredient. Would love to try it!
Barbara, those sound delicious. I've been thinking a lot about pine nuts lately but not sure what to do with them yet.
Now I know what to do with the new madeleine molds I bought! I love adding olive oil to sweet batters - it really adds that wonderful extra richness to the end result!
I love that olive oil is used more in baked goods. Never used to be that way. Nicely done, I would love to give these a whirl.
Just found your blog and adore it! These look absolutely amazing! I will definitely try out this recipe! Have a great weekend XOXO
I love love love the combination of chocolate, olive oil and salt. When w were kids, our snack used to be baguettes drizzles with olive oil and a piece of chocolate inside. The bread provided the saltiness. It's perfection!
Yum! This sounds excellent. Madeleines are such a great base for experimentation.
I always thought Madeleines were little cookies until my daughter made them in high school for french class. Little moist cakes instead, but are really delicious. I like the olive oil and cocoa idea.
Wow, these look perfect!
Nice looking madeleines! I love it! I have been trying to make madeleines in a very different way and I think I can say that it was a success.
looks yummy. how do you feel olive oil makes the chocolate taste versus butter. i am using more and more olive oil recently. thanks for the post.
Donrahi, I think that olive oil and dark chocolate just have a natural affinity. They each are complex in their own way, but together they seem to be in perfect harmony because they each seem to strike some of the same notes. They can each be fruity or peppery and in combination will balance each other's back notes. Butter has such a completely different profile. Both add a certain richness but olive oil tastes more distinctive, especially with the salt.
i've never seen a chocolate madeleine before....wonderful!
I live in olive country (mideast) but I still can't imagine what these will taste like.
You can also try this:
Buy a can/jar of pure raw tahini (sesame paste - NOT the prepared sauce with herbs, just sesame).
Let the jar sit for a while undisturbed in your pantry.
The sesame oil will separate out.
Pour it off and use it - depending on the recipe, you can also use the upper layer of sesame paste which is thicker but also very oily.
We use it in chiffon/sponge cakes for a lovely nutty flavor. It also has nice synergy with chocolate.
The oil can also be used in stir-fry - the only difference between this stuff and the the bottled sesame oil is that the bottled stuff is pressed from more heavily toasted seeds.
Love your blog!
Ben-David, thanks for stopping by and sharing that interesting information. I've never thought about chocolate and tahini before! I'll have to try it.
I've made these twice now and everyone has loved them. The second time, I used 100% Valrhona cocoa powder and folded in a few tablespoons of organic chocolate syrup with the olive oil to intensify the chocolate flavor.
pastry:studio is by far my favorite pastry blog!
I'd like to surprise my boyfriend. This would make as the perfect boyfriend gift.
We served this to our guests last week. They really enjoyed it.
these were a perfect rainy day project this weekend.
chocolatey, tender, moist, flavorful. super simple to throw together.
and greased the molds with browned butter-- yum!
i'm definitely making these again.
--Bryan
Aside from the shape, it’s hard to see what all the fuss is about with classic Madeleines. The flavor is subtle. The texture is not particularly memorable. Yet somehow they’re addictive.
Hi this recipe is wonderful. I used brown rice flour instead of regular, and xylitol instead of sugar. It was perfect. Maybe I'll use a little less chocolate powder next time. Other than that, perfect! Thanks for this recipe.
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