Description
Iconic French Madeline are easy to make at home! Experience a quick trip to Paris while standing in your kitchen holding a tray of freshly-baked Madeleines. There’s nothing as joyful as biting into these beautiful cookies sprinkled with powdered sugar!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 stick (8 tbsp) high-quality unsalted butter (84% butterfat)
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons organic honey
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 lemon – grated zest only
- 1/2 orange – grated zest only
- Nonstick cooking spray for Madeleine pan
- Powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) for sprinkling
Instructions
DAY 1 – PREPARE BATTER
IMPORTANT: It takes only 10 minutes to assemble the delicious cookie batter! But before you begin, make sure the eggs are at room temperature. Cold eggs will cool down the batter, affecting the melted butter.
- Add a stick of butter, brown sugar and honey to a small pot over low heat. As the butter melts, whisk to fully incorporate the ingredients. Immediately remove pan from heat so the ingredients do not burn!
- In a medium-large mixing bowl, add flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Briefly whisk the dry ingredients to combine. One by one, add room-temperature eggs to the bowl. Whisk well after each addition until the batter is smooth, thick and gooey. Add the warm melted-butter mixture to the bowl. Add the vanilla. Slowly whisk until fully incorporated. The Madeleine batter will now be the consistency of cake batter.
- Whisk in the orange zest and lemon zest.
- Transfer batter to an 18-inch piping bag. Twist and fold down the top of the bag. Refrigerate overnight, or for 12 to 24 hours so the baking powder has time to rest. This technique is very important when making Madeleine cookies. It helps their centers puff up and rise while baking, giving them a traditional humpback appearance.
DAY 2 – BAKE MADELEINES
IMPORTANT: While baking, keep in mind that the top side of these shell-shaped cookies should not be flat! The centers should be puffed up with a high hump like they have a large pearl inside.
- Select a mini Madeleine pan or a traditional Madeleine pan. Evenly coat the cavities of the non-stick pan with cooking spray.
- With scissors, cut 1/2 inch straight across the tip of the piping bag. The actual opening will end up being about 1/8 inch. Holding the decorating bag at 90 degrees, applying firm even pressure, pipe the batter into each depression of the pan lifting the tip straight up after each. Fill cavities 3/4 full.
- If using a mini Madeleine pan, bake 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. The cookies are done when they puff up in the center and are golden blonde. A cake tester inserted in the centers should come out clean. When using a traditional Madeleine pan, bake 12 to 14 minutes or until done. Remove from oven. Unmold immediately!
- Sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar. They’re best enjoyed while hot!
YIELD: 75 mini Madeleines, or 16-18 standard-size Madeleines.
Notes
- NO COOKING SPRAY? NO PROBLEM. Brush the cavities of the pan with warm melted butter.
- TIP FOR EVEN BAKING: Adjust oven rack to the center position. Place a rimmed baking tray upside down on the oven rack. This will lift the molded pan up from the baking rack, providing an evenly-heated surface to bake on. Place the Madeleine pan on top of the tray.
- BAKING TIME ADJUSTMENT: If baking mini Madeleines at 350°F takes longer than 4 1/2 to 6 1/2 minutes, raise the oven temp to 375°F for the next batch.
- HOW TO SPRINKLE POWDERED SUGAR: To sprinkle powdered sugar lightly and evenly, use a baker’s dusting wand or a small fine-mesh strainer.
- HOW LONG WILL MADELEINE BATTER LAST? The refrigerated cookie batter will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. This allows enough time to bake several small batches of fluffy cookies. Madeleines are meant to be enjoyed straight out of the oven. Once the cookies cool they’ll become dense. Only bake the quantity that will be eaten immediately.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French