Cornbread Madeleines: Southern Comfort Food with Iconic French Style

Here’s a little something you should know about me. I love cornbread. Southerners can be particular (downright opinionated) on how cornbread should taste. Is it made with yellow stone-ground cornmeal or white cornmeal? Should it be sweet or savory? Do you put sugar in the batter? A Google search for southern-style cornbread will show you that recipes are quite divided on the topic.

I prefer my cornbread on the savory side with a hint of sweetness, made with bacon fat, and baked in a cast iron skillet.  Pour some maple syrup or a spread of honey butter on top, and we are in business. However, when a pair of madeleine pans were delivered on my doorstep, I had a vision. What if cornbread and madeleines had a love child?

The result is the best of both worlds – the texture and taste of cornbread with the sophistication of the iconic madeleine shape. Cornbread madeleines are perfect to pair with your morning coffee, alongside a salad, or with a savory soup. You can also freeze them by wrapping the cornbread madeleines tightly in plastic wrap and placing them in a large freezer bag. They should keep for a few months in the freezer.

Bon appétit!

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Cornbread Madeleines

Yield: 36 madeleines

Author: Julia Darling

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons melted butter (for the batter)
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter (for greasing the madeleine pans)
• 2 1/3 cups of yellow stone-ground cornmeal
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 cups of buttermilk

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Using a pastry brush, brush the melted butter onto the molds of the madeleine pans. I use two pans with twelve molds each, for a total of 24.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, stir together the eggs, honey, and buttermilk using a whisk.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
6. Add the 3 tbsp. of melted butter to the bowl. Stir to combine everything.
7. Using a teaspoon or small scoop about the size of a melon baller, fill the individual madeleine molds with batter.
8. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until the edges of the cornbread are lightly browned. Oven temperatures vary, so keep you eyes on them.
9. Pull the pans from the oven and remove the cornbread madeleines immediately by giving them a bang on your countertop. The cornbread should fall right out.
10. Place cornbread madeleines on a cooling rack until they are room temperature.