Orange cardamom madeleines with Cointreau glaze

These madeleines were a sort of a baking accident: I grabbed Martha's gorgeous book to pick a Christmas cookie (to start off this year's Christmas series) but when I started flipping through it the first recipe I saw was the one for these madeleines: they looked so beautiful! I had all the ingredients at home so to the kitchen I went to make the madeleines, and since the batter needed some time in the fridge I had time to bake other cookie recipe.

Orange cardamom madeleines with Cointreau glaze
slightly adapted from the wonderful Martha Stewart's Cookies (with inspiration from the beautiful Scandilicious Baking, too)

Madeleines:
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter + melted butter extra, for the pan
1 tablespoon good-quality honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 1 small orange
¾ cup (105g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs

Glaze:
¾ cup (105g) confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon Cointreau – or to taste
½ tablespoon hot water, more if necessary

Batter: melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat, and stir in honey, vanilla and orange zest. Let cool 10 minutes.
Whisk flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
Stir together sugar and eggs in a medium bowl. Gently fold in flour mixture until combined. Add butter mixture, and fold until combined. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (up to overnight).
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F. Brush molds of a madeleine pan with the extra melted butter, then refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Spoon batter into prepared pan, filling each mold halfway. Bake until cookies are puffed and edges are golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, cool for 1 minute. Unmold madeleines onto rack, and let cool completely.
Make the glaze: sift the sugar into a small bowl. Stir in the Cointreau and water, mixing until you get a pourable consistency. Using a small pastry brush, coat ridged side of each cookie with glaze. Let set 15 minutes. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Makes 2 dozen – I used a pan with ½ tablespoon capacity cavities and got 48