TWD: Fluff-Filled Chocolate Madeleines

This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Margot of Effort to Deliciousness: fluff-filled chocolate madeleines.  A madeleine pan was one of the first “specialty” pans (something other than a cake or muffin pan) I bought when I started baking but it just doesn’t get that much use so I’m glad Margot chose this recipe.  Plus, though I don’t eat it much these days, I used to love a good peanut butter and fluff sandwich, so there was a bit of nostalgia involved in pulling the jar of fluff out of my pantry when it was time to whip these up.

This is an easy batter to put together and the process can be split up over a few days, as Dorie recommended chilling the batter for the madeleines before filling the pans and baking them.  I’ve seen other recipes call for this fridge time as well; it’s supposed to help the madeleines develop their characteristic hump.  The problem I ran into here was that the batter was difficult to work with after being chilled and I had a hard time judging how much to put in the wells.  My first madeleines were tiny, and the next set were giant.  I wonder if maybe it might be easier to portion the batter into the pans first, then chill and bake?  I’ll probably give it a try next time I make this recipe.  After hearing from some of my TWD friends that it was tough to fill the madeleines, I wound up skipping that step and just dipped them in the ganache and piped a little fluff on top.  The flavor definitely reminded me of Hostess cupcakes, though maybe not as chocolate-y and a little more dense.  Not a new favorite, but a tasty breakfast treat to be sure! 

Many thanks to Margot for hosting this week!  She and I have been baking together in a few different groups for several years and we’ve also exchanged goodies through the mail via Secret Baker; she totally rocks so stop by her blog and say hi 🙂  You can find the recipe for the madeleines on her blog or on pages 170-171 of Baking: From My Home to Yours.