This is a recipe largely borrowed from a 1952 volume of Gourmet magazine. Palets des dames are similar in texture to madeleines, cakey-cookies which are ubiquitous in France (Wikipedia defines madeleines as mini-cakes but I think of them as cookies with a cakey texture). Anyway, palets des dames differ from madeleines because they have the addition of currants. They are also piped, rather than requiring the special mould needed for madeleines.
Palets des Dames
4 tbs currants
2 tbs rum
1/2 c butter
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 c all-purpose flour, sifted
1. Soak the currants in the rum for half an hour, until they are plumped.
2. Preheat oven to 450oF and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at time. Stir in sifted flour, followed by the currants and rum.
3. Put the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tube and press mounds about the size of a half dollar onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the palets de dames to a cake rack to cool.
Makes about 30 cookies
