Cinnamon madeleines with winter caramel sauce
Delight your guests with a cinnamon twist on the usual dainty madeleine, served with aniseed flavoured caramel.
Equipment: You will need a madeleine tin.
Ingredients
For the cinnamon madeleines
- 225g/8oz butter, plus extra for greasing
- 1 vanilla pod
- 250g/9oz sugar, plus 75g/2½oz for dusting
- 250g/9oz plain flour
- 2 tbsp clear honey
- 3 free-range eggs
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon, for dusting
For the winter caramel sauce
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú caster sugar
- 350ml/12fl oz double cream
- 1 star anise
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 25g/1oz butter
Method
For the madeleines, preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 5 and butter the madeline tins.
Heat the butter until just melted.
Split the vanilla pods and scrape out the seeds, reserving the pod.
Place the sugar and flour into a bowl then add the vanilla seeds, honey and eggs then whisk in the melted butter until you have a nice smooth batter.
Spoon the batter into the tins, only half filling each indent.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden-brown. (Depending on the size of the madeleines, small ones may take only 8-10 minutes.)
Mix the ground cinnamon and sugar for dusting on a plate, then roll the madeleines quickly in the sugar to coat them thoroughly.
For the winter caramel sauce, heat the sugar in a pan until it turns a light golden-brown. Pour in half the cream and bring to the boil, stirring well.
Add the star anise, cinnamon, reserved vanilla pod and butter and the rest of the cream. Cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened and smooth.
Strain through a fine sieve into a serving bowl.
Serve the madeleines with the sauce. They can be kept in an airtight container for up to a week.
