Every cookie lover's favorite time of year is rolling up soon and will be here before we know it. I love to bake any time of year but the crisp days of Fall and the late mornings of winter with snow blanketing our backyard are guaranteed baking days in my kitchen. 

Holiday Cookies: Showstopping Recipes to Sweeten the Season by Elisabet der Nederlanden is a beautifully styled book packed with 75 full-color photos and 50 recipes for holiday classics and twists on traditional treats. Along with recipes for Icebox Pinwheel cookies, Hazelnut sandwich cookies and Red and white meringue kisses, the author takes us around the world with Fig and cardamom rugelach, Hungarian kiffles, and more. Candies and confections are covered along with tips for packing, presenting and storing our baked treats. This is a stunning book that would be a great holiday or hostess gift - along with some freshly baked Saffron pistachio biscotti from the book or a cute holiday cookie cutter.

Special thanks to Ten Speed Press and the author for sharing the Glazed eggnog madeleines recipe with our members today. I'm hosting a holiday cookie lunch in November and asking everyone to buy this book and bake a cookie from it to share. I called dibs on these madeleines and hope to make a few others. I'll follow up in November with a post on the experience. It should be fun! Scroll to the end of this post to enter our contest for three copies of Holiday Cookies open to the US from the publisher and Eat Your Books is offering one copy worldwide.  

 

Glazed eggnog madeleines
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Makes 24 madeleines

 

These tender-crumbed cookie-cakes are a classic French treat and perfect alongside a cup of coffee or tea. The flavors of eggnog put this recipe squarely in the holiday realm, making it a great addition to your seasonal cookie assortment. For the best results, chill the batter and freeze the pan. The madeleines are best when eaten the day they are made.

 

MADELEINES

  • 1 1⁄2 cups cake flour
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
  • 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon or Cognac
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 3⁄4 cup (6 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Glaze

  • 2⁄3 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk
  • Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

12-mold standard-size madeleine pan, 1-tablespoon cookie scoop (optional), wooden skewer or similar tool

To make the madeleines: Sift the flour, baking powder, and cloves into a bowl, then whisk in the salt and nutmeg. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, yolks, and granulated sugar and whisk on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until pale and airy. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand, add the flour mixture, and, using a rubber spatula, fold in gently. Add the bourbon, cream, and 1⁄2 cup of the melted butter and continue to fold gently until the ingredients are incorporated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush the madeleine molds with 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter, then place the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the pan from the freezer. Using the scoop or two tablespoons, scoop a rounded tablespoon of batter into each prepared mold. Then, using the wooden skewer, spread the batter gently to evenly

fill the mold. Bake the madeleines for about 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown and a slightly raised bump forms in the center of each one.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Using a fork, gently loosen each madeleine from its mold, then tip the pan to turn the madeleines onto the rack, scalloped side up, and let cool completely.

Wash and dry the pan, brush the molds with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and place the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes. Fill the molds with the remaining batter, then bake and cool the same way.

To make the glaze: In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, milk, and nutmeg to the thickness of heavy cream. One by one, dip each madeleine into the glaze at an angle, covering about 1 inch. Place them back on the cooling rack until ready to serve.

The publisher is offering three copies of this book to EYB Members in the US and we are offering one copy worldwide for a total of four. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won't be counted. Please be sure to check your spam filters to make sure you receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on October 25th, 2017.