Happy 2017! Hope you guys had some happy holidays full of love and festivities.

Anyone who knows me can attest to my Christmas spirit. I live for the end of the year. I start playing Christmas music as early as I can get away with it. I get random pangs of excitement for the holiday season around mid-July. I was born at the end of November and I usually put my birthday money towards buying Christmas gifts for the people I care about. I. Love. Christmas.

BUT it's all over now. A week and a half into 2017 and all that feverish holiday energy has all but abandoned me. 

It's day 7 out of 10 straight work days. One of my girls at the bakery broke both of her ankles (on separate occasions within the same week) and basically after arranging and rearranging the schedule for who knows how long, this is the hand I was dealt. I was also the dealer, so I can't honestly blame anyone but myself. 

I like to think I'm the type of person who does what they can for other people. (My family may scoff that this, but y'all also thought I was super into owls.) This affects me negatively because I assume everyone else operates the same way.

For example, I hate complaining to authority figures because a) I assume complaining won't get me anywhere anyway and b) I assume the person in charge has already done what they can to help me or address my concerns, which 99% of the time is not the case at all. It's just what I would do in that position, so I assume it's what everyone does.  If you assume someone's already done what they can to help you out, you end up taking a lot of leftover shit that maybe you didn't necessarily need to take. 

This is how I ended up taking 10 8-hour shifts back to back. I felt compelled to shoulder the work rather than demand others to pick up the slack. I just hope some good will is coming my way in return. 

Maybe that's why I love the Christmas season so much. It's the one time of year most people live up to my expectations of them. 

Anyway, there's a counter full of leftover New Year's Eve liquor I'm going to imbibe the minute I get off work on Friday. Trust.

These madeleines are great for any occasion, whether you're celebrating an international holiday like NYE or you just want something sweet to kick up your heels with at the end of a long work week. The madeleine cookies themselves have a warm-yet-zesty flavor from the ginger, and the rosé syrup imbues a tart decadence. They only take 10-12 minutes in the oven, so go ahead. You've earned it. 

Ingredients

For the Madeleines (makes about 20)

• 10 tbs butter, melted and cooled to room temp
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 2/3 cup of sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 to 2 tsp ground ginger

For the Rosé Syrup 

• 1 cup of sparkling rosé, plus a little extra
• 1 cup of sugar

Method

Make the Rosé Syrup

• Pour the cup of rosé into a small saucepan. Add the sugar - the rosé will probably fizz violently, so you'll probably need to compensate a bit with more rosé from the bottle. Stir to combine, and boil over medium heat.
• Stir the mixture occasionally, checking for thickening after 10-15 minutes. The volume should reduce greatly, and color should be more pronounced. If you're unsure if the syrup is done, let it cool down and see if the liquid has thickened - if it has, it's ready, and if it hasn't, it needs to reduce further.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat, and allow to cool while making the madeleines. Keep the syrup nearby - you'll use it immediately after taking the madeleines out of the oven.

Make the Madeleines

• In a small bowl, sift together the flour and the ginger. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer (or in a medium mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed until pale and foamy. 
• Beat in the vanilla and the salt. Beat in the flour + ginger combo until just incorporated.
• Stream in the melted butter, and beat until just combined.
• Cover the batter and chill for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. Either spray-grease a madeleine pan or do what I do and use the paper wrapping from the butter (which you melted earlier) to wipe the inside of the bowl used to contain the melted butter, and spread the butter entrails on the madeleine indentations. 
• After at least 15 minutes, spoon about a tablespoon of batter in the center of each indentation, and bake at 375°F for about 12 minutes. Check for doneness around 10 minutes - the madeleines are ready if the cake springs back when lightly pressed with a finger. 

Assembly

• Remove the madeleines from the oven, and use a chopstick to poke a small hole into their centers. Use a pastry brush or a small rubber spatula to spread the rosé syrup over the entire non-scalloped sides of the madeleines. Pour the rest of the syrup into a small bowl, for optional dipping.
• Allow the syrup to soak into the hot madeleines, then use the chopstick to pop them onto a wire cooling rack, scalloped-sides up. 
• Dust madeleines with powdered sugar (and gold sanding sugar, if you're celebrating!)

Profit.