In an old house in Bryn Mawr on the long Main Line, Lives a crazy and wonderful mother of mine. She’s tipsy after one glass of wine, And goes to bed at half past nine.   Like the pink-green-brown of these tasty treats, She’s a colorful surprise to those she meets. So when you bake madeleines for some sugary eats, Just remember my mom, who inspired these sweets.

Citrus madeleines:

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 vanilla bean

Zest of one lemon

Zest of one orange

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup icing sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

*A few drops of food dye

*2 tbsp cocoa powder plus one tsp water

Instruction:

1. In saucepan, melt butter. Turn off heat and add vanilla bean and lemon and orange zests to infuse.

2. Whisk eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon juice in bowl for about 3 minutes, until frothy. Add icing sugar in two batches, whisking until liquid absorbs sugar.

3. Sift in flour and baking powder, whisking until mixture is completely smooth. Strain butter and add to batter, again whisking until completely smooth.

*Optional: before adding butter, sift in cocoa powder. Then add extra water and proceed to butter step.

*Optional: as a final step, add several drops of food dye.

4. Pour batter into madeleine molds, filling each pocket about halfway. In 375 degree oven, bake madeleines for 8-10 minutes, until batter has risen and is spongy to the touch.

Enjoy Mothers’ Day madeleines with Ludwig Bemelmans’s Madeline books, and check in at http://warandpeach.com for future recipes and book reviews!