TWD: Fluff-Filled Chocolate Madeleines

As is my wont, I failed to carefully read this recipe before starting.  I had skimmed over it and thought, lovely, easy recipe.  Then I got to the part where it said, chill for at least 3 hours and I thought, well, never mind what I thought, let's just say unladylike words filtered through my brain and one or two may have passed through my lips.  It isn't that chilling the dough is difficult.  It is that, once again, my photos would have to be taken without the benefit of natural light.  Drat!  I hang my head with shame each time I look at someone else's elegant photos and I vow to at least take mine with the beneficial natural light.  However, being an inveterate sluggard, I rarely manage to stick to that vow.

I was a bit surprised to see the step of chilling, I've never done that before when baking madelines.  I've also never made chocolate madelines before.  I think previously I have done plain and lemon.  I haven't made madelines in a few years.  I don't know why not.  They are quick easy and impressive. 

I thought I had incorporated my melted butter thoroughly before chilling the dough.  I found when I removed it from the refrigerator that I had not.  My dough had striations of fat running through it.  Not very attractive.  Nonetheless, I persevered.  I loaded the batter into the mold and baked.  My madelines were massive.  They more than overflowed the pan.  I think I could have made at least four more cookies if not six with the batter I had. 

For appearances sake, I trimmed the excess baggage from my cookies.  Not being a wastrel (just a sluggard) I forced myself to eat the trimmings.  I must say, a chocolate madeline is a fine thing.

I let them cool down (one did break when removing them from the pan) and then I proceeded to attempt to stuff them with fluff.  I suck at stuffing cookies with fluff.  First of all, despite Dorie's instructions to insert the piping tip into the flat side of the cookie, I stuck it in the narrow bottom.  This caused one or two of my cookies to split.  I shall cleverly eat that evidence.  I'm not a big fan of marshmallow fluff so the paucity of this ingredient in the cookie will not be missed by me.

My ganache came together easily and I started dipping the cookies.  Looking at some of the other's photos I see that my cookies were not as smooth as theirs - or my dipping is not as pristine.  I don't know the specific cause but I see other madelines that look smoothly and professionally covered whilst mine look like they had a hit and run accident with a ganache bowl.  I am jealous, but console myself with the fact that my cookies are tasty.

If you want to see professional looking madelines, visit Effort to Deliciousness.  Margot selected this recipe for us this week.  It was a fine selection.