Santa Madeleines

Christmas Goodie Countdown day 12/number 14 is this super yummy recipe! And adorable...how could anyone resist these Santas?? Highly recommend making a batch (or two) of these for your family, holiday gathering, etc. They are also tasty without any decoration, in case you don't feel like making the effort :)

Link to my YouTube video "making of": https://youtu.be/PfJ9OEu9idI

Original recipe credit: https://www.bhg.com/santa-madeleines-6822643

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

for the madeleines--

1 large egg

2 large egg yolks

1 c. powdered sugar, sifted (measure, then sift)

1/2 c. salted butter, melted and cooled

90g (3/4 c.) all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp. zest from an orange

2 tsp. fresh orange juice

for the red icing--

1 c. powdered sugar

1 T. (plus a little bit more) milk

couple of drops of vanilla extract

red food coloring (I used the Wilton gel "no taste red")

for the white frosting--

I used my homemade version (there is no recipe, I adjust amounts in it depending on texture need); feel free to use any pipeable frosting (i.e. not the canned stuff at the store) or the buttercream frosting part of the original recipe (link above)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour madeleine pans/molds (I ended up making 22, recipe says it makes 24, so be sure you have at least 24 cavities ready). Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg and egg yolks on high speed for 5 minutes.

3. Add the powdered sugar, mix in on low, then beat for 5 minutes on high speed.

4. Mix in the cooled melted butter on low speed until combined.

5. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder. Add to the stand mixer mixture and mix in on low speed until combined.

6. Stir in the orange zest and orange juice by hand.

7. Spoon the batter into the prepared molds, filling each cavity around 3/4 full. Bake for 10 min, or until edges are golden.

8. Let cool in pan/mold for 1-2 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack to cool completely.

9. Once they have completely cooled, prepare the red icing: whisk together all the icing ingredients. Start with the 1 T of milk and add very small splashes (if needed) until you obtain a texture that can be thickly drizzled (it should not be very runny).

10. With the madeleine straight edge up, use icing to make a "hat" (see the video for this). Return to cooling rack to let icing harden and drip (if any does).

11. Use a star tip to pipe on prepared frosting (see note in ingredients list) for trim on hat and for beard, if desired. Enjoy!