There are still some lemons left on my lemon trees! They might not be many but I love seeing them hanging on my trees, giving color to our garden. They’re so fresh, aromatic and beautiful that I’d like to use them in a special way. This year’s cold winter has afflicted them so the few lemons that we’re left with are even more precious. Only the view of them, hanging on my trees or laid in wire baskets, fills me up with a feeling of springlike freshness and spark.

The list of potential lemon-recipes to play with was long; I love lemons so much that I’ve gathered many lemon-recipes throughout the years, both sweet and savoury. As mentioned before, lemons are a passe-partout! Today’s sweet recipe is all about their unique and fresh aroma. We’re making Madeleines! They are so cute, I feel like a joyful kid each time I make them!

Madeleines are mini seashell shaped sponge cakes, something between a cake and a cookie. You can give them a shell shape with baking molds that can be easily found in cook shops anywhere. They are so refined, delicate and buttery. Light and soft but crispy at the same time. Super easy and quick to make but also quite impressive.

There are many variations to the recipe and numerous ingredient combinations. You can add any ingredient you like depending on your taste. I chose to work with vanilla and lemon but you can easily use just vanilla or orange, chocolate, coffee and more.. You can also add to their flavor with the use of lavender, rose water, cinnamon, coconut.. Just put your imagination to work!

I’m always under the illusion that we’re not going to consume large quantities of them, thanks to their tiny size. But trust me, that’s not the case at all! Quite the opposite, they’re so cute, small and tempting that no one can resist them! Once you have one, there’s no turning back.. So I’d strongly advise you to double or even triple your dough. I promise you it won’t go to waste. And if you end up with too many madeleines, you can always store them in the freezer and heat them up whenever you want to, they’ll be good as new!

These golden, tiny shells are considered to be a classic French recipe. That’s indeed where I’ve tasted the greatest Madeleines and the truth is I always bring back a bag of them whenever I come back from a trip to France. They’re named after their creator, Madeleine Paulmier, a famous pastry cook of the 19^th century. They’re also connected with the famous French writer Marcel Proust who made them famous with his brilliant book “In search of lost time”. Even those who haven’t read the book have heard of the famous “Madeleine Moment”, an instance of involuntary memory when the narrator tastes a madeleine steeped in his lime-blossom tea.

Every time I make these tiny, delicate, buttery shells I feel like I’m making something so refined. Even though they’re quite simple, these monodose mini cakes feel so luxurious and spoil us one bite at a time! They can also be an amazing gift, wrapped in a beautiful box or in mini treat bags wrapped with colorful decorative ribbons. Kids love them for their playful shape and taste. Just try them!