Festive Pistachio Madeleines

Can you imagine what the sweetest Christmas tree would look like? Surely it would be made of soft little branches, with a flavour as delicate as these festive pistachio madeleines, which I suggest you use to make a beautiful Christmas tree to decorate your table this holiday season. That is, if it doesn’t vanish the moment you place it down—because the temptation is real!

Making this sweet tree couldn’t be easier. All you need is a polystyrene cone and a De Buyer madeleine mould. Or several! If you love the idea, make your tree as big as you like and cover it with as many madeleines as you’ve baked. It’ll be a stunning Christmas centrepiece—and the perfect excuse to get the kids involved sticking the cakes in place (just make sure they don’t eat them all before decorating!).

I truly hope you enjoy these festive pistachio madeleines as much as I do and that you create a magical, sweet Christmas tree with them. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

For the pistachio madeleines

• 2 large eggs
• 100 g vanilla sugar
• 100 g sugar
• 150 g plain flour
• 6 g baking powder
• 75 g butter
• 30 g pistachio paste
• 40 g finely chopped pistachios

For the finish

• 80 g white chocolate
• 1 tbsp icing sugar

Method

Preparing the pistachio madeleines

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan or in the microwave, being careful not to burn it.
2. Once melted, add the pistachio paste and stir well to combine.
3. Place the flour, baking powder and both sugars in the bowl of your KitchenAid stand mixer and attach the whisk.
4. Start mixing on low speed and add the eggs one at a time. Beat for a few minutes until all ingredients are well combined and the mixture is airy.
5. While still mixing, slowly pour in the pistachio butter mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
6. Cover the batter with cling film (direct contact with the surface) to prevent it from drying out. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
7. Grease the De Buyer madeleine mould with butter and lightly flour it.
8. Remove the batter from the fridge and place it into a piping bag or a Le Tube pastry gun by De Buyer. Fill each mould cavity up to 3/4 full.
9. Sprinkle the chopped pistachios on top and place the mould back in the fridge to chill slightly.
10. Preheat the oven to 210°C. Once hot, place the mould inside and immediately lower the temperature to 170°C.
11. Bake for about 6–7 minutes, until the edges are golden and the madeleines have their characteristic shape.
12. Remove the mould from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before unmoulding.

Finishing and assembling the Christmas madeleine tree

1. Melt the white chocolate using a bain-marie (double boiler), like the one from De Buyer.
2. Dip the tips of each madeleine into the melted chocolate and place them on a wire rack or sheet of baking paper until set.
3. Use wooden toothpicks to attach the madeleines to a polystyrene cone, covering the entire surface.
4. Finally, before serving, dust the madeleine tree with icing sugar. Happy holidays!