I have spent a lot of 2020 longing to travel and dreaming about places I have been. And the food I’ve eaten along the way! I imagine that I am not alone in this, right?!?! One such memory is the Cornbread Madeleines that I devoured at Blue Smoke in New York City a few years ago. The dipping sauce was worth writing home about because it was that good. So I began the re-creation process and developed these gluten free Cornbread Madeleines with Cane Butter Dip. They are great for snacking on their own, as a side for chili, barbecue or to replace cornbread or rolls with any meal.
The Dry Ingredients
I developed this recipe using two grinds of cornmeal to create a soft texture with a little noticeable chew from the cornmeal. Using just medium ground or corn flour (finely ground cornmeal, NOT corn starch) results in either too grainy or too cake-like texture. Equal amounts of both make it juuust right. Goldilocks would approve;-)
In a large bowl, combine the medium ground cornmeal, corn flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir with a large spoon.
The Wet Ingredients
In another bowl, combine the eggs, melted butter and whole milk. Beat with a fork to break up the eggs.
All Together Now
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir well with a spatula or large spoon until combined into a smooth batter. If it looks a bit runny, and likely will, let it sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes and it will thicken some. This will allow the cornmeal grains to absorb some of the liquid and soften, creating a more tender crumb texture when baked.
Madeleine Pan
This recipe truly is best suited to a madeleine pan, which results in crisp edges and a soft textured interior. A cross between a soft cookie and a cornbread muffin. I used this Cornbread Madeleine with Cane Butter Dip batter in a mini muffin tin and it does turn out well, but the texture and consistency is definitely different. Still yummy though!
Fill the greased madeleine molds with about a tablespoon of batter being careful not to over fill the molds. Bake for only 10 minutes. They will be puffed in the middle and browned around the edges and on the bottom. Serve the Cornbread Madeleines warm from the oven with the Cane Butter Dip.
Cane Butter Dip
This dip is so simple it’s silly. Just pure cane syrup and butter. I use Steen’s brand because there are no added ingredients and it is delicious! Whip it with the room temperature butter using a hand mixer until it combines well. It will take less than a minute.
More Gluten Free Goodness
- Cornbread Muffins
- Triple B Chili
- Oven Pulled Pork with Apple Slaw
- Smothered BBQ Chicken
- Skillet Pork Chops
- Sweet and Spicy Chicken
Cornbread Madeleines
Ingredients
- 1 cup medium ground cornmeal aka. regular cornmeal
- 1 cup finely ground cornmeal aka. corn flour, not corn starch
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup melted butter dairy free subs will work
- 1 ¼ cup whole milk or dairy free creamer
- butter or oil to grease molds
Cane Butter Dip:
- ¼ cup pure cane syrup I use Steen's brand
- 1 tbsp butter, softened *haven't tested this with dairy free subs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and grease the madeleine molds with butter. If you don’t have a madeleine pan, you can use a mini muffin pan, but the texture will be more crispy.
- Combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal, corn flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients (eggs, melted butter and milk) in another bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stir to combine well. Let the mixture rest for 15-30 minutes at room temp to thicken and for the cornmeal grains to soften.
- Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of batter into each madeleine mold, making sure not to over fill.
- Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and transfer the Cornbread Madeleines to a serving tray.
For the Cane Butter Dip:
- Combine room temperature butter and room temperature pure cane syrup using a hand mixer. Pour it into a small serving dish. That’s it!