Pistachio & Rose Madeleines Recipe - Nigella Adapted

Recipe: Pistachio and Rose madeleines Recipe »

At this rate, my Peters of Kensington voucher, a Christmas present from A&D, is slowly dwindling down to nothing. I can't help stock my already stocked and tiny cupboards with even more baking tins. These Madeleine tins are my latest purchase along with some Golden caster sugar (for what, I have no idea), green sprinkles and ceramic pie weights.

I adapted Nigella's Rosebud Madeleine recipe to add ground pistachios. I'll take any chance to include pistachios, especially in desserts as I love these gorgeously hued nuts and these little rosebuds I had were practically insisting that they pose in the photographs.

Although Nigella says that this recipe makes 48 mini madeleines (or 24 regular ones) I found this to be quite inaccurate. I only made 12 regular madeleines. This is the same problem I encountered with her Pistachio Macaron recipe. I don't think it's due to me under-whipping the eggs, they were suitably whipped to 3 times the original size. I also didn't bother with the 1 hour's refrigeration and subsequent standing for 30 minutes at room temperature. Other Madeleine recipes do not call for this and I figured why turn something simple into something arduous and fussy? In any case, these delightful little cakes are incredibly easy to make and would make gorgeous gifts or you could simply serve these with tea and make your guest feel most welcome.

If you are looking for other madeleine inspiration try my orange Madeleines that I'm sort of obsessed with or try the lemon madeleines dipped in chocolate . I also love the warmth and aroma of these Hojicha tea Madeleines.

Pistachio and Rose madeleines

• 1 large egg
• 40g/1.4ozs caster sugar
• pinch of salt
• 25grams/10z unsalted pistachios
• 2 tablespoons of pure icing sugar
• 50g/1.4oz unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing pan
• 45g/1.4ozs plain flour, preferably Italian 00
• 1 tablespoon rosewater
• 12 tin regular madeleine tin
• icing sugar for dusting

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 220ºC/gas mark 7 and butter and flour the madeleine pan. Melt all the butter over a low heat, then leave to cool. Grind pistachios with icing sugar until fine.

Step 2 - Beat the egg, caster sugar and salt in a bowl for about 5 minutes, preferably with an electric mixer of some sort, until it’s as thick as mayonnaise or about 3 times the original volume-it will be pale and a lemoney white. Then fold in the flour; I hold a sieve above the egg and sugar mixture, put the flour in and shake it through.

Step 3 - Fold in the rosewater and butter. Mix well, but not too vigorously.

Step 4 - Spoon batter into tins, about 1 teaspoonful in each should do for mini madelines or 1 tablespoon in each for regular sized madelines. Don’t worry about covering the moulded indentations; in the heat of the oven the mixture will spread before it rises. Bake for 7 minutes, though check after 5. Turn out and let cool on a rack, then arrange on a plate and dust with icing sugar.

This recipe made 12 regular madeleines for me

Adapted from How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson