Roasted Oolong Tea and Black Sesame Madeleines

Ingredients

• 115 g granulated white sugar (or 4 oz by weight, or 1 cup plus 1 tbsp by volume)
• 2 tbsp roasted oolong tea leaves (if using plain oolong, roast in oven until fragrant before use)
• 2 eggs (large, room temperature)
• 2 tsp honey (or 30g; note: transcript mentions honey multiple times, total estimated at 2 tsp)
• 0.33 cup milk (lukewarm, approx 68°F (20°C))
• 1.5 cup all-purpose flour (or 180g)
• 1.5 tsp baking powder (or 6g)
• 2 tbsp black sesame powder (found at Asian supermarkets)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (pure vanilla)
• 250 g unsalted butter (melted and cooled; plus extra for greasing pan)

Steps

1. 1

   Place 115g granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of roasted oolong tea leaves into a food processor or blender.

2. 2

   Pulse and blend the tea and sugar until the tea leaves are a fine powder and the sugar is well-combined and 'airborne'.

3. 3

   In a large bowl, whisk 2 large room temperature eggs with the tea-sugar mixture until thoroughly combined.

4. 4

   Whisk in 2 teaspoons of honey and 1/3 cup of lukewarm milk (approx 68°F/20°C).

5. 5

   Sift 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 2 tablespoons black sesame powder into the wet mixture.

6. 6

   Whisk the batter until thoroughly combined and no streaks of flour remain.

7. 7

   Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 250g of melted and cooled butter. Whisk until the batter is smooth.

8. 8

   Cover and chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least 1 1/2 hours, or up to a few days. This resting period allows the flour to hydrate and ensures the signature humps during baking.

9. 9

   Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Thoroughly grease a madeleine pan with melted butter and a light dusting of flour.

10. 10

    Transfer the chilled batter into a piping bag (or Ziploc bag with a corner snipped). Pipe the batter into the prepared madeleine molds.

11. 11

    Give the pan a light tap on the counter to settle the batter.

12. 12

    Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the cakes have risen with distinctive humps and are springy to the touch. A toothpick inserted should come out clean.

13. 13

    Immediately tap the madeleines out of the pan onto the counter surface to prevent carryover cooking and overbaking.

Notes

If you cannot find roasted oolong tea, you can roast plain oolong tea leaves in the oven for a few minutes until fragrant before blending. Chilling the batter is the most important step for achieving the classic 'hump' on the madeleine.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• snack
• baking
• French
• tea-infused
• madeleines
• black sesame