Lemon Gluten-free Madeleines

With friends and family members going gluten-free, I'm determined to learn to bake gluten-free goodies. I went a little crazy when Costco had an aisle of GF flours and got one of everything. Then I googled gluten-free recipes and felt like I'd just opened Pandora's box.  I had no xanthum gum, no sweet rice flour, way too much garbanzo flour and a boatload of coconut flour -- but no plan.

So I'm starting with madeleines. This recipe is simple and makes a small batch (about a dozen) -- perfect for a trial recipe.

First I made a gluten-free flour mix with the flours I had on hand, based on Jeanne’s Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Mix. (You can use All Purpose GF flour if you prefer.) You'll only need about 3/4 c. for the madeleines; store the extra flour in an airtight container.

• 170g brown rice flour
• 205g white rice flour
• 120g tapioca flour
• 120g sweet sorghum flour
• 25g cornstarch
• 2 t. xanthum gum

Then I (mostly) followed the directions that I found here, which was inspired by this recipe.

Gluten-free Madeleines
Ingredients
105g gluten-free flour mix
1/2 t. baking powder
70g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs
1/2 t. lemon juice
100g granulated sugar
2 t. vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Beat eggs and sugar for a few minutes. [Love my standing mixer.]
2. While that's happening, nuke the butter on low until it's melted.
3. Add vanilla & lemon juice to the butter, and dump the liquid into the mixer.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the baking powder with the flour and lemon zest.
5. Fold in the liquid until well blended and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.
7. Prepare the madeleine tray, fill, and bake until the cakes are golden, about 12 minutes.
8. Let the madeleines cool a few minutes before popping them out of the molds.

Zucchini Madeleines

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I'm always trying savory variations of popular recipes. It's worth splurging to get non-stick madeleine pans to make these!

fyi, I didn't invent this recipe, but I no longer have the original and can't find it online, so I'm not sure what I've tweaked over the years.

Zucchini Madeleines
Ingredients
4 medium-size zucchini (about 1 1/2 lb.) shredded
2 t. salt
6 T. olive oil
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 c. flour
1 T. baking powder
5 large eggs
2 T. milk
1 1/2 c. (about 5 oz.) grated parmesan
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 T. chopped fresh basil or 1 t. dried basil
1/4 t. pepper

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix zucchini with salt. Let stand until limp and liquid has drained from it, about 30 minutes. Rinse well; drain, squeezing out as much water as possible.
2. Meanwhile, put 2 T. of the oil into a frying pan on medium-high heat. Add onion, stirring occasionally, until limp and lightly browned. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, stir flour with baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk until blended eggs, milk, remaining oil, cheese, garlic, basil and pepper.
4. Add zucchini and onion and mix well. Stir zucchini into flour mixture until evenly moistened.
5. Butter and flour madeleine pans or small muffin pans. (even if you have non-stick pans)
6. Spoon batter into pans, filling to rims. Bake in a 400 degree oven until puffed and lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes. Cool about 5 minutes, then invert pans to remove; use a spatula to loosen them gently, if necessary.
7. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 2 dozen.