This easy gluten-free madeleines recipe uses cornmeal, and they bake in just 8 minutes! If you don't have a madeleine pan, you can use a mini-muffin tin instead.
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For inspiration and entertainment during lockdown I turned to one of my favorite chefs, David Lebovitz. You may remember that I read two of his memoirs during our last trip to Paris, and that I shared his French-style hot chocolate recipe.
In lieu of his planned book tour, he was doing Instagram lives during Paris apéro hour, making drinks from his new cocktail book, Drinking French.
Every day at 11am I could count on the comfort of his voice talking about the history of various liquors and liqueurs and all the fabulous cocktails that could be made from them.
You should really check out his IGTV if you're a cocktail nerd. There were some great interviews and cool backstories behind brands like Dolin and Chartreuse. (The color was named for the liqueur, not vice-versa.)
So of course, I had to buy the book and I found some yummy little snacks in there too. If you know me at all, you know I love a cocktail nibble.
And bonus: these madeleines are gluten-free so my husband can have all he wants!
And he wants all of them because they are loaded with bacon.
Typically when I'm looking at cornmeal recipes for him, they still call for AP flour, but not here! And no special gluten-free flour blends needed, either. Just cornmeal. Huzzah.
These are easy to make, the only kind of special ingredient you need is buttermilk.
I would advise purchasing a quart of buttermilk, because you're going to want to make these on repeat. I've made them several times now, and I've tweaked them to perfection for you.
Are madeleines cakes or cookies?
Madeleines are actually small sponge cakes, baked in a shell-shaped mold. People tend to call them cookies because they are small and can be eaten in a couple of bites.
These are not true madeleines, they are savory and they will not have the little hump that you usually find with the traditional ones.
Think of them as tiny, fun-shaped, bacon-y corn muffins.
Gluten-Free Cornmeal Madeleines with Bacon, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil Recipe
Makes about 18 madeleines.
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
In a large skillet cook the bacon until crisp, then set aside on a paper towel to drain. Keep the bacon fat in the skillet and let it cool down.
Once the bacon fat in the skillet has cooled, brush each madeleine mold with the bacon grease. If you don't have a brush, just dip a paper towel in the grease and spread into the mold.
Tip: I used a non-stick madeleine pan, and I still did this. The bacon grease gives the madeleines a nice crisp texture.
Finely chop the basil.
Finely dice the sun-dried tomatoes. I like to use a mezzaluna for chopping like this. It makes it easier to get a fine dice just rocking it back and forth along the cutting board and saves your fingertips.
Once the bacon has cooled, use a good chef's knife to cut it into small pieces, but not too small. When I was working on this recipe, I found that when the bacon was too tiny, you couldn't taste it. You want those salty chunks.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, smoked paprika, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
In a small bowl, combine all of the wet ingredients.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the buttermilk mixture.
Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together, but do not fully combine.
Add the bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil and stir gently until all ingredients are fully incorporated into the batter.
Fill the molds in a non-stick madeleine pan about ¾ full with batter. I took David Lebovitz's advice and used a small, spring-loaded ice cream/cookie scoop for this task. But you can just use a regular ole spoon from your drawer, too.
What can I use instead of a madeleine pan?
For this recipe, you can use a mini-muffin tin instead of a madeleine pan. Just make sure you only fill the cups about ¾ full.
Spread out the batter a bit, then gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to get the batter into the grooves of the pan.
Bake for 7 - 8 minutes or until the madeleine springs back a bit when you push down on it. Allow to cool for 1 minute, then use a small offset spatula or other small tool to gently remove the madeleines from the pan. Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
How do you store gluten-free madeleines?
These are really best the day they are made. And they will go fast! But if you do make them ahead they are good for about two days in an airtight container.
More snack recipes that go great with cocktails
Gluten-Free Cornmeal Madeleines with Bacon, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Basil
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
- 2 tbsp finely diced oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a large skillet cook the bacon until crisp, then set aside on a paper towel to drain. Keep the bacon fat in the skillet and let it cool down. Once cooled chop the bacon, but not too finely.
- Once the bacon fat in the skillet has cooled, brush each madeleine mold with the bacon grease. If you don’t have a brush, just dip a paper towel in the grease and spread into the mold.
- Drain the oil from the sun dried tomatoes and pat dry, then finely chop. Finely chop the basil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, smoked paprika, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, olive oil, and honey. Then make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the buttermilk mixture.
- Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together, but do not fully combine. Add the bacon, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil and stir gently until all ingredients are fully incorporated into the batter.
- Fill the molds in a non-stick madeleine pan about ¾ full with batter. Spread out the batter a bit into the molds, then gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to get the batter into the grooves of the pan.
- Bake for 7 – 8 minutes or until the madeleine springs back a bit when you push down on it. Allow to cool for 1 minute, then use a small offset spatula or other small tool to gently remove the madeleines from the pan. Transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Serve them the same day for best flavor, or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Chop the bacon, but don't dice it too finely. When I was working on this recipe, I found that when the bacon pieces were too tiny, you couldn’t taste it. You want those salty chunks.
- This recipe is adapted from Drinking French by David Lebovitz.
- I used a non-stick madeleine pan, and I still coated the molds with bacon fat. It gives the madeleines a nice crisp texture.
- I took David Lebovitz’s advice and used a small, spring-loaded ice cream/cookie scoop to transfer the batter into the molds. But you can just use a regular ole spoon from your drawer, too.
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