Pumpkin madeleines with cream cheese filling

It's October, so we feel it's finally okay to publish a pumpkin recipe! We're dismayed that so many stores have had Christmas decorations up for nearly a month. We hate rushing the season. And even though we love everything pumpkin, we don't want to tire of it before our Thanksgiving feast.

This recipe makes pumpkin look a little fancier. We made these cream cheese-filled cakes in madeleine tins, which you can find in any cook shop and online for about $15. We also see them occasionally at our local thrift store, so keep your eyes peeled.

So who is Madeleine? Nobody knows, but these little cakes were made famous by the French. They're also popular in the UK and Poland. Maybe they'll become popular at your house, too, if you give them a try.

​They're best fresh, served with a dusting of powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. They'll keep for up to three days in a tightly sealed container. Recipe makes about 24 standard size cakes.

ingredients & special equipment

DOUGH

• 1 stick (113g, 4 ounces of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup (142g) brown sugar, packed if by volume
• 3 large eggs, room temperature 
• 1/2 cup 100 percent pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (220g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice mix

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

• 4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 small egg
• 1/6 cup granulated sugar (2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons)

• Madeleine pan

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instructions

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat two 12-shell madeleine pans with baking spray (Can also do in batches with one pan. Spray between uses.)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: Flour, baking powder, salt and pumpkin spice mix.
3. In your stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on medium speed until incorporated. 
5. Add the vanilla and pumpkin, and mix on low to medium speed until well combined.
6. Add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl all at once and mix on your lowest speed just until combined. Do not over mix. With a SideSwipe, this incorporation should only take a few seconds.
7. Transfer your pumpkin batter to a medium bowl and rinse your mixer bowl to make the cream cheese filling.
8. Mix together, on medium-high speed: cream cheese, egg and 1/6 cup granulated sugar until creamy and light. Set aside.
9. Fill each madeleine opening with about 1 Tablespoon of pumpkin batter. Then add 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture to the center of the opening. Cover with pumpkin batter up to edge of the shell opening. (Pans have different size openings. Please judge for yourself what amounts to use to create the mad).  Repeat in all the openings. Tap the pan gently on your counter to release any bubbles in your batter.
10. Place the mad pan on top of a baking sheet and put in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, rotating your pan about halfway through to ensure even baking. Mads are done when they have puffed up and are golden brown; they will bounce back when you press with your fingertip. Err on the underbaked side. Even slight overbaking can make them dry.
11. Allow them to cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
12. Serve plain or dusted with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.

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