Chocolate Hazelnut Madeleines

I decided to make this one a small(er) batch. While it can be a good thing to have something sweet around, it can also be a bad idea when they end up staring at you.
Better to have someone (or two) over to tea or coffee and share.
And besides, they're nicer within a day or two- another good reason not to make a huge batch.

When I first worked on this chocolate and hazelnut madeleine concept,  I only had one madeleine pan, which can be a bit of a nuisance when you have enough batter for 24 or more cakes. The pan is hot, you need to re-butter and dust the indentations...
They end up tasting great, sure, but the finish isn't quite as sharp on the lovely little shells.

I have since been (extremely) happily gifted a few madeleine pans from someone else who was going through their baking arsenal. She asked if I would like them, of course not knowing I was contemplating a purchase. The great thing about these is that they're used. They have a bit of character and a finish.

Well... I've made many variations of these over the past year or so.
Egg whites vs. whole eggs, with and without baking powder, increase some of this, decrease that, etc., etc.

Not to say that this will officially be 'IT'- I truly cannot promise that.
However, these aren't bad (and I don't think anyone would know they were gluten free, which certainly is a goal... and besides, it's kind of fun to experiment with different flours).

Chocolate Hazelnut Madeleines
Makes 12-18 (depending on the size of the moulds)

8 T (114 g) salted butter (or unsalted with a pinch of salt)

2 oz (57g) dark chocolate

1 T (15 ml) honey

1/4 c (20 g) hazelnut flour

2 T (18 g) tapioca flour

1 T (12 g) rice flour
1 T (8 g) corn starch

1 T (8 g) cocoa powder (plus extra for dusting the moulds)
1/4 t (2 g) baking powder

2/3 c (77 g) confectioner's sugar
2 large eggs 
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped

Melt butter, chocolate, and honey together over low heat, or in a bain marie until just melted. Mix well to blend and set aside to cool until just warm.
In a bowl, blend together the hazelnut flour, tapioca flour, rice flour, corn starch, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Set aside. 
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the vanilla seeds until frothy and slowly add the confectioner's sugar. Continue beating over medium-high speed several minutes until thick and pale. 
With the mixer running on low speed, steam in the warm chocolate mixture. Increase the speed and beat just until blended. 
Carefully fold in the flour mixture until the batter is uniform. 
Cover and refrigerate the batter 1 hour. 

Remove the batter from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).
While the oven is heating, brush a madeleine mould with softened butter and dust with cocoa powder. Divide the batter among the prepared madeleine indentations. 
Bake the madeleines 10-15 minutes, or until the tops spring back when poked lightly.
Remove the pan from the oven and let cool about 5 minutes, then turn the madeleines out onto a rack to cool completely. 
Store any extras in an airtight container.