These savory cornbread madeleines are gluten free and 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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These cornbread madeleines 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!
They are made entirely with cornmeal, so they are completely gluten free! They are smoky from bacon and paprika, sweet from the sun dried tomatoes and honey, and bright from the fresh basil. They bake very quickly and are a perfect bite to go with cocktails.
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These gluten free cornbread madeleines are your new favorite appetizer
- The batter doesn't need to rest like traditional madeleine batter so you can prep, bake, and eat right away!
- So quick—ready in 30 minutes.
- Can be made in a madeleine pan or a mini-muffin tin.
- Flavors can be changed up to suit your mood and the seasons.
Ingredients you'll need
- Fine cornmeal: Make sure you are buying fine cornmeal, not coarse ground. I like Arrowhead Mills or Bob's Red Mill.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These are made entirely from cornmeal so we need to use both to get them to rise enough.
- Smoked paprika: This gives the batter a bit of smokiness and spice.
- Kosher salt
- Buttermilk
- Bacon
- Oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
- Fresh basil
- Olive oil
- Honey
How to make gluten free cornbread madeleines
Adapted from Drinking French by David Lebovitz.
Makes about 18 madeleines.
Step 1: Cook the bacon and prep the madeleine pan
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. See tip below.
Step 2: Prep the other seasonings
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.
Step 3: Make the cornbread madeleine batter
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.
Step 4: Shape and bake the madeleines
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.
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.
Tips for making cornbread madeleines
- I used a non-stick madeleine pan, and I still brushed the pan with bacon grease before adding the batter and baking. The bacon grease gives the madeleines a nice crisp texture.
- If you'd like to make these vegetarian, simply omit the bacon and add a bit more sun dried tomato. Brush the pan with butter before baking instead of the bacon grease.
FAQ
You can use a mini-muffin tin instead of a madeleine pan. Just make sure you only fill the cups about ¾ full.
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 gluten free cornmeal recipes
- Cornmeal Pancakes with Strawberry Compote are a stunning sweet and savory brunch dish.
- Jalapeño Spoonbread is a spicy, custardy substitute for stuffing at Thanksgiving.
- Apple Ricotta Cake proves that gluten free desserts can be tasty, satisfying, and appeal to everyone at the table.
- Corn Cakes with Guasacaca Sauce are bursting with fresh summer corn.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Cornbread Madeleines with Bacon, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Basil
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoon 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.
- To make these vegetarian, omit the bacon and replace with more sun dried tomato. Brush the pan with butter before baking.
- 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 (or butter if making these vegetarian). 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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