Orange Nutmeg Madeleine Cookies

Last Updated on January 12, 2020 by Chef Mireille

Orange Nutmeg Madeleine Cookies flavored with orange and preserved nutmeg make a great holiday cookies – especially for nutmeg lovers!

Happy New Year!!! When you are so busy with a job outside of blogging, sometimes you lose your blogging mojo when your responsibilities start to add up. The end of December to now the blog has been way too quiet. I am ready to get back to blogging and starting the year off with these cookies, hoping the coming year is full of sweet tidings for you and me both. These Orange Nutmeg Madeleine Cookies were inspired by a recipe in one of my cookbooks.

The CCC team (Cookbook Cooking Challenge) decided to add some more parameters this year and cook from a select number of cookbooks so we can really dig into some of the cookbooks we all own. Prior to this, we would cook from cookbooks, magazines, TV shows and even family recipes. Now, with these new rules the name of the group is more accurate. It’s time to blow off the dust from the cookbooks on the bookshelf.  I am starting with this recipe from Best of the Best. Best of the Best comes out every year and in this cookbook, a few select recipes are reproduced from the best cookbooks of the year. My edition is from 1998 and this recipe comes from a book called New Recipes from Quilt Country by Marcia Adams, featuring traditional recipes from the Amish and Mennonite communities.

Both conservative Mennonites and the Amish are traditional cultures, dressing much the same as they did in colonial times. However, Mennonites do use modern technology like electricity, unlike the Amish. They are peaceful communities that do not participate in war. They are famous for their baked goods, which are often sold at local farmer’s markets throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Mid-West US, where most of them live.

These Orange Nutmeg Madeleine cookies have a soft cake like texture and reminded me so much of Madeleines I have named them as such. Putting my own twist on these traditional cookies, I added some preserved nutmeg fruit I still had leftover from my trip to Malaysia. If you make it to Malaysia or have a great Southeast Asian market near you, preserved nutmeg adds great flavor to any baked goods. If you can’t get your hands on preserved nutmeg, dried apricots would be a great substitute with some freshly grated nutmeg.

Although the recipes calls for the cookies being frosted, they were just as good frosted or not.

I made the frosting a little firm so that it would chill and harden. This way the frosted cookies can be stacked for storage. If you would like a softer frosting, you can add 1-2 tablesooons of milk.

The soft texture of the cookies is achieved by using all the ingredients at room temperature, so don’t forget to take everything out of the refrigerator a few hours before you start. The cake like interior are just like Madeleines.

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Orange Nutmeg Madeleine Cookies

soft cake like cookies infused with orange and nutmeg

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Continental

Servings: 40 cookies

1x2x3x

Calories: 142kcal

Ingredients

• 1 6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate thawed
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
• 1/3 cup finely chopped preserved nutmeg

Frosting Ingredients

• 3 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon butter at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk optional

Instructions

• Remove 2 tablespoons from the can of orange juice concentrate and reserve for the frosting.
• Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with non stick spray.
• In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
• Add sour cream, eggs, zest orange blossom water and remaining orange juice concentrate. Mix until thoroughly combined.
• Add flour in 3 batches, mixing well after each addition.
• Using a scoop sprayed with non stick spray, Drop about 2 tablespoons for each cookie on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes, until bottoms are lightly browned.
  
• Remove to a cooling rack.
• To make the frosting, combine cream cheese, butter and orange juice concentrate. Mix well until thoroughly combined and smooth.
• Add sugar one cup at a time, mixing until thoroughly combined.
• Using a spatula, spread a thin layer of frosting on top of each cookie.

Notes

If you cannot source preserved nutmeg, just add some freshly grated nutmeg to the cookie dough.

Nutrition

Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 48mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 232IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

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