Lavender-Lemon Madeleines for #BrunchWeek #sponsor

Here we are at day five of one of my favorite blogging weeks of the year: Brunch Week. I can't believe the week is almost over! Each year, Terri of Love and Confections coordinates this multi-blogger, multi-day celebration of all things brunch. This year Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures is co-hosting. 

I almost didn't post today. Very unlike myself, I procrastinated on a planned post and wasn't ready. When I got home this evening, ready to quickly bake a tray of lavender madeleines, all I could do was stare in dismay at my sad, little lavender bush. The drought has certainly taken its toll. There were no blossoms on my usually prolific plant. Even the leaves were tinged with brown. Ugh.

Then I remembered a friend saying that you can cook with culinary grade essential oils. And I just happened to have some culinary grade lavender essential oil that was delivered to my doorstep today. You can tell it's culinary grade, versus therapeutic grade, because it has the supplement facts on the bottle.

Ingredients

• 3/4 C organic butter plus some for greasing pan
• 1 C granulated sugar (I used Dixie Crystals)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 t pure vanilla extract
• 1 t pure lemon extract (I used Nielsen-Massey)
• 1 drop lavender essential oil
• 1 C flour (I used a cake flour)
• 1/2 C roasted, unsalted hazelnuts, chopped

Procedure
Before you start, chop your hazelnuts. While you might be tempted to use pre-chopped nuts - I have done it many times myself - the aroma of the freshly chopped nuts is extraordinary and well worth the effort. I promise!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease, or butter, your madeleine pan and set aside.

Place your butter and sugar in a saucepan and heat, over medium heat, until the butter is melted and the sugar is blended into the butter.

Let the butter-sugar mixture cool for a few minutes, then spoon it into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the eggs, extracts, and essential oil. Beat for a full three minutes to incorporate lots of air bubbles into your batter.

Fold in the flour and ground hazelnuts with a spatula, taking care not to deflate the batter too much. Using a truffle scoop, or teaspoon, fill the shell molds with batter until almost full.

Bake till the madeleines puff up and the edges are golden. Mine took between 17 and 19 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 3 to 5 minutes. Unmold. You may be able to tap them out; I used a small spatula to ease them out of the molds onto the cooling racks.

For a spur of the moment, complete experiment in baking with essential oils, these are quite tasty. I will definitely make them again, next time gluten-free, so my Love can indulge. But he and R aren't home tonight, so I just made them with my tried and true cake flour.

The Other Bloggers' Recipes

Get ready to be inspired!

BrunchWeek Beverages:

• Breakfast Margarita by Forking Up.
• Brunch Sangria Mimosas by The Crumby Cupcake.

BrunchWeek Breads, Grains and Pastries:

• Apple Onion Fritters by Cindy's Recipes and Writings.
• Breakfast Pizza by Big Bear's Wife.
• Caramelized Apple & Onion Kolaches by The Spiffy Cookie.
• Cheddar Scones by My Catholic Kitchen.
• Cinnamon Pancetta Waffles by The Texan New Yorker.
• Citrus Rolls by Feeding Big and More.
• Orange Poppy Seed Pancakes by From Gate to Plate.
• Raspberry Lemon Sticky Buns with Lemon Glaze by Sweet Beginnings.
• White Cheddar Cheese Muffin Biscuits by Family Around the Table.

BrunchWeek Fruits, Vegetables and Sides:

• Caramelized Onion and Apple Frittata by A Day in the Life on the Farm.
• Cheesy Potato Hash by Gluten Free Crumbley.
• Kale and Apple Slaw by Palatable Pastime.
• Key Lime Parfait by The Redhead Baker.
• Lemon Blueberry Parfait by Tara's Multicultural Table.

BrunchWeek Egg Dishes:

• Baked Egg Boats by Pink Cake Plate.
• Breakfast Enchilada Bake by Making Miracles.
• Cheddar & Sausage Frittata by The Chef Next Door.
• Baked Toad in a Hole Breakfast Sandwiches by Sarcastic Cooking.
• Southern Eggs Benedict by The Barbee Housewife.
• Tomato Basil Cheddar Eggs by {i love} my disorganized life.

BrunchWeek Main Dishes:

• Cheddar Cheese Board with Onion Jam by Love & Confections.

BrunchWeek Desserts:

• Lavender-Lemon Madeleines by Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
• Apple Fritter Rings by The Healthy Fit Foodie.
• Individual Fresh Strawberries and Cream Pies by Rants From My Crazy Kitchen.
• Lemon Mascarpone Crepe Cake by The Suburban Soapbox.
• Sugar Cookie Strawberry Shortcake by Jane's Adventures in Dinner.

The Giveaway

Many thanks to the #BrunchWeek sponsors whose ingredients and products were used in the creation of this recipe. Thank you, Nielsen-Massey, Dixie Crystals, and KitchenIQ.

Don't forget to visit my kick-off post and enter the huge giveaway: here!

Disclaimer - Thank you to #BrunchWeek Sponsors: Red Star Yeast, Dixie Crystals, Cabot Cheese, Vidalia Onion Committee, Sage Fruits, Nielsen-Massey, KitchenIQ, and Le Creuset for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #BrunchWeek. All opinions are my own.