Yes my favorite citrus is back (it’s been back for a while really)! But, the season is almost gone so if you haven’t picked up any blood oranges yet, I suggest you do that right now.  Tighten up the drawstring on those buffet pants and get to the store. Go on, I’ll wait… You back, okay!! Now wash a couple of oranges, dry them well and then zest them into 4-6 cups of white sugar. Rub the zest throughout the sugar and you now have Blood Orange Citrus Sugar which you can use for tons of recipes. The more zest, the stronger the flavor, but that’s not what this blog is about. It’s Easter, we’ve been locked down (for over a year) and we all need a delicious treat! So make these Blood Orange and Almond Madeleines. It reminded me of one of our trips to Paris in the spring! Cool (in temperature as well as a place to be) at any time of year.  No “buts …”, it is Paris after all, we will take it whenever we can! 

If you have a Madeleine pan, great, this recipe makes 24 delightful cakes. If you don’t it will still work , just use a mini-muffin tin that has been sprayed well and bake. Your time may need some adjusting depending on how much you put into the tin, but I would say a good starting point to check the mini-muffin tins is 6 minutes. The taste of the blood oranges with the almond is just delightful. It tastes even better the next day once the flavors get stronger. Nothing much to do for this recipe really, I used almond and vanilla extract to reinforce the almond flavor – think frangipane.  I also sprinkled some citrus sugar on top of the batter before baking. I did check the madeleines at 8 minutes and then again at 10 (which is how long it took).  Out of the oven they are light and spongy, almost delicate with a lace thin crispy edge that transports you to a café on any street in Paris!   Of course I’ve got a “Suggestions” section at the end of the recipe, so live dangerously – experiment!  

You might notice that in the picture I stuck some candy coated Easter eggs onto a couple of madeleines. This is just for the Instagram people.  You can do all of them like that, I just didn’t want to overdo it as we would be stuck eating them (I know, what a horrible predicament to have!). I used about 1 tbsp of blood orange juice (they juice so easily) and some icing sugar – no, you do not need a recipe for this, just make it up! Place a dollop onto the madeleine and then place the colorful eggs on top.  You could also dip an end of the madeleine in the icing – that would be pretty as well! You will enjoy this for days (if they last that long). Refrigerate to store, even cold they taste great, a little dense, but still so good! Wishing you the joys of Easter, Passover, Ramadan or your special day! Wear a mask or two, wash your hands, socialize responsibly within your household bubble – please, I want to be able to hug my kids again, and above all, be safe. As always – enjoy!

Ingredients
1 stick butter, melted
½ cup blood orange citrus sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup almond flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1 tsp of honey – I used Manuka, but orange blossom would be great
½ tsp each almond and vanilla extract
Zest of 1 blood orange 

Directions
If you are using a madeleine pan, butter or spray well and set aside – this makes enough for 24 which is 2 trays
Using a stand or hand mixer – I used a hand mixer, cream together the eggs and sugar on high speed for 1 minute
Add the honey, almond and vanilla extract and blood orange zest – beat until well incorporated
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, almond flour, salt and baking powder
Add this to the egg mixture – beat on low until combined – the batter will be thick
Cover the bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes on the counter or longer in the fridge
Preheat oven to 350f
Divide the batter evenly between the molds – I used a large teaspoon for the first pass, then filled in any leftover batter where needed
Bake for 8 – 10 minutes – as always – check at the lesser interval (8) and adjust time as needed, mine were done at 10 minutes
Let the madeleines cool in the pan before using a spoon to gently push them out of the pan – I used buttered non-stick pans and they just needed a gentle nudge on the flat end of the cakes to slide out
Let them cool completely before storing – but devour a few before that
The texture is soft and light (a sponge cake after all) but with a crispy edge, given an extra crispness by the baked on citrus sugar – when refrigerated they become more dense but the flavor is so much more intense

Suggestions and/or changes
If you don’t have blood oranges, use lemon or orange citrus sugar and zests
Change up the extracts to almond + lemon or orange (same quantity)
After buttering, sprinkle the madeleine pans with citrus sugar before adding the batter, sprinkle some citrus sugar on top as well
Add some chopped pine nuts or chopped sliced almonds – small pieces, into the batter – just don’t call them madeleines or throw caution to the wind and call them your version of a madeleine
Make some citrus flavored icing using citrus juice and icing sugar – pipe the icing onto the madeleine or dip the end of the madeleine in at an angle
Be creative – it’s delicious food (eggs, wheat, nuts, dairy – come on!!!)