The title is a mouthful, and so are these mini-muffins! I used a base of a madeleine batter to create these bite-size treats for Easter. The madeleine batter imparts a much richer, more buttery flavor than a traditional muffin mix. I had a ton of Meyer lemons in my garden, and so I used the zest to brighten up both the batter and the icing.
The girls are on spring break, so I had lots of little hands helping out. Everyone wanted to be in charge of sprinkles, but I was able to get them to do the measuring, pouring and spreading as well. If you have children home on break and don’t know what to do with them, cook! You’ll get to spend time with them, they’ll have fun, and they will learn skills that will be valuable to them for their whole lives.
Can you see the pink bunnies?
1. Info for Mini Madeleine Muffins with Meyer Lemon Icing
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
- Servings: 5
- Calories: 130 kcal
2. Ingredients for Mini Madeleine Muffins with Meyer Lemon Icing
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, + 1 tablespoon
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, + 5 Tablespoons + extra for greasing the pan
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup superfine sugar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 5 eggs
- 2 scant teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ teaspoon lemon extract
- 4 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest
- 1 cup fruity tea, hot
- ¼ cup dried cherries
- ½ cup vanilla chips
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2½ tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons Easter bunny sprinkle toppings
3. Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 410°F.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with ⅓ of a cup of the superfine sugar for about 6-7 minutes. You’ll get a pale yellow foam and the texture of the egg yolk will be thicker. Add the brown sugar, raw honey, vanilla, lemon and orange extracts.
- In a bowl, combine the flour (2 cups + 1 tablespoon), salt and baking powder. Sift all the dry ingredients.
- Soak the dried cherries in a hot cup of tea for about 30 minutes. Drain all the liquid. Set the cherries aside.
- Cream the butter (2 sticks + 5 tablespoons) with the remaining ⅔ cup of superfine sugar (whisk using a stand mixer to get as much air as possible into the butter). Add the egg mixture and the dry ingredients. Mix well. Add the dried cherries.
- Place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of madeleine dough into two 12-hole mini muffin pans. Plastic wrap the trays and place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the plastic wrap, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 410°F, then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 5-6 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and et it cool down completely.
- While the mini-muffins cool down completely, melt the vanilla chips (30 seconds in the microwave) and put it in a mixing bowl. Add the powdered sugar, the butter, the remaining (1 teaspoon) lemon extract, 1 teaspoon of Meyer lemon zest and the salt to the bowl. Use a single whisk electrical mixer to get a more even texture. Add the cream and beat for another 2 minutes until the texture is smooth and creamy.
- Frost each mini muffin with the Meyer lemon icing then top with the bunny sprinkles.
- Serve with a nice cup of hot tea.
- Happy Easter!
