French madeleines are small, buttery sponge cakes with a distinctive shell shape from the type of pan they are baked in. Although really cute and delicate on their own, you can also use them to make colorful little hot air balloons in this edible craft.
I’ve been baking for a while now, so I’ve acquired quite a few different cake and cookie pans over the years. I love my madeleine pan, but it seems it has only one very specific use — you make French madeleines with it, and that’s pretty much it. I was on a mission to find another use for this pan.
I’ve always thought the madeleine shape could also work to create little balloons, so I had to try them out in this edible craft.
Use your favorite madeleine recipe, or just Google one — you’ll find plenty!
Achieving the striped colors is easy: Separate the batter into ziplock bags, and pipe the colors one at a time into the madeleine pan. The batter is thick enough that the colors don’t immediately run into each other. Learn more on this technique.
Rolo Minis chocolate candies are used for the hot air balloon baskets. (If nut allergies aren’t a concern, then you can swap the Rolos for mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups).
Use your imagination to decorate the colors and designs on these little balloons. The sky’s the limit.
Hot air balloon madeleine cookies recipe
Recipe adapted from Mochi Thoughts…
Yields 16
Ingredients:
For the madeleines
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter (melted and cooled)
- 16 madeleines
- Rolo Minis
- Toothpicks
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray the madeleine pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Beat together the eggs and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar, and mix until thick and satiny.
- Mix in the baking powder and flour.
- Add the melted butter, and mix well.
- Separate the batter into 4 bowls. Tint each with your favorite color to use for the “balloons.”
- Once the colors are mixed, add each color to a ziplock bag. Snip a corner off the bag, and pipe stripes of color into the madeleine pan.
- Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake, or the colors will brown.
- Once the madeleines have cooled, add 2 toothpicks to each “balloon,” and insert them into the Rolo.
More fun food crafts
Tropical fruit bouquet in a pineapple vase
Adorable cookie purses
Edible watermelon bowls with sorbet
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