Parisian Cookie Cake Food

CLASSIC FRENCH MADELEINES

Steps:

• Cut the butter in tablespoons and place them in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, until the solids sink to the bottom of the pan and turn golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the browned butter into a small bowl. Stir the vanilla and lemon zest into the butter, then set aside to cool.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside until needed.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed while gradually adding the sugar. Once all of the sugar has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and continue whipping the mixture until it's very thick and pale in color, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the mixer off and, using a silicon spatula, fold in the flour mixture in three additions, stirring just until combined. Fold in the butter mixture.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days.
• 30 minutes before you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Generously brush the molds of your madeleine pan with butter, then lightly dust with flour.
• Using a medium cookie scoop, spoon level scoops of the batter into the center of each mold. You don't need to spread the batter.
• Bake for 12 minutes, or until the "bellies" have risen and they're golden brown.
• Cool madeleines in the pan placed on a cooling rack for a minute or two, then gently loosen them from the molds. If they stick, carefully run a small knife around the edge of the cakes until they release.
• Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve warm, with coffee or tea.

FRENCH BUTTER CAKES (MADELEINES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter and flour 12 (3 inch) madeleine molds; set aside.
• Melt butter and let cool to room temperature.
• In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs, vanilla and salt at high speed until light.
• Beating constantly, gradually add sugar; and continue beating at high speed until mixture is thick and pale and ribbons form in bowl when beaters are lifted, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Sift flour into egg mixture 1/3 at a time, gently folding after each addition.
• Add lemon zest and pour melted butter around edge of batter. Quickly but gently fold butter into batter. Spoon batter into molds; it will mound slightly above tops.
• Bake 14 to 17 minutes, or until cakes are golden and the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertip.
• Use the tip of the knife to loosen madeleines from pan; invert onto rack. Immediately sprinkle warm cookies with granulated sugar. Madeleines are best eaten the day they're baked. Leftover madeleines are wonderful when dunked into coffee or tea.
• Variation: Chocolate Madeleines: Omit lemon zest. Increase sugar to 1/2 cup. Substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for 2 tablespoons of the flour; sift into batter with flour.

PARISIAN COOKIE CAKE

Steps:

• Center a rack in the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set the ring of a 9-inch springform pan (without its base) upside down on the prepared sheet. The ridge in the ring should be on top.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and salt on medium-low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape in the almond butter and mix for 2 more minutes. Add about one-third of the flour mixture and beat on medium-low until blended. Pour in the egg and mix on low until incorporated. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix on low until they disappear into the dough. Scrape the dough into the center of the springform ring.
• Use a flexible or offset spatula or your fingers to spread the dough as evenly as you can. You don't have to press it down aggressively, but you should try to get it relatively smooth. Scatter the chocolate over the surface and then scatter over the almonds.
• Bake the cookie for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and immediately - and carefully - open and lift off the springform. Let the cookie cool to room temperature, then dot the surface with caramel sparingly or generously; if you'd like, you can drizzle the caramel. Sprinkle the top lightly with fleur de sel. Cut the cookie into 10 to 12 wedges, or go rogue and cut it into other shapes. Wrapped, the cookie will keep for about 4 days at room temperature.

GIANT COOKIE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and grease a 22cm springform cake tin. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, then mix in the egg, extra yolk and vanilla extract.
• Combine the flour, cornflour and baking powder, then fold into the butter mixture until fully incorporated - it will be quite thick. Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 20-25 mins or until light golden brown. Leave to cool for 5 mins. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

GâTEAU BASQUE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• Working with a mixer (use a paddle attachment if you have one), beat together the butter and both sugars on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, and beat for another 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla; the mixture should be smooth. Add the flour mixture all at once, then pulse the mixer to begin incorporating it. Mix on low until blended.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather into a ball, then divide in half.
• Shape each piece into a disk - the dough will be sticky - and put each between sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a round just a smidge wider than 8 inches. Keeping the dough sandwiched between the parchment, refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or for up to 3 days).
• When you're ready to bake, center a rack in the oven, and heat to 350 degrees. Generously butter an 8-inch-by-2-inch round cake pan. Remove the dough from the fridge, and leave on the counter until pliable, about 10 minutes. Peel away the paper.
• Fit one round into the pan; if it breaks, just press the pieces together. Either fold the extra dough over and onto the base or trim it; don't fuss about precision here. Spread about 3/4 cup of the jam over the base, leaving a 1-inch border bare and adding more jam, if needed.
• Top with the second piece of dough, lightly pressing down around the edges and, if you can, tucking the dough under a bit. Again, it doesn't have to be perfect; the dough is soft, and as if by magic, the layers fuse in the oven.
• Brush the top with the egg wash, and use the tines of a fork to etch a crosshatch pattern.
• Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Transfer to a rack, and let rest for 5 minutes, then carefully run a table knife around the edge of the cake. Unmold onto the rack, and then quickly and carefully turn the cake over onto another rack, crosshatch side up, so that it can cool to room temperature. Wrapped well, the cake will keep for 2 days at room temperature.