Classic French Madeleines (Madeleine Cookies) (2024)

Classic French madeleines, or madeleine cookies, are perfect in shell shape, density, and texture, and they have a delicious taste that can't be matched. Grab the best madeleine recipe and learn all the tips and tricks on how to make homemade madeleines with a hump on top.

This post is a part of myMadeleine seriesin tribute to this iconic French pastry and all that it means - from fascinatingmadeleine history,choosing the rightingredients and madeleine pan, all the secrets of authentic madeleine hump, andstorage suggestions - you name it!

What are French madeleines?

French madeleines are authentic French shell-shaped cakes, sometimes called madeleine cookies, perfect for breakfast, afternoon snacks, and a lunchbox idea.

French madeleine recipe

This madeleine recipe is one of those on the Internet that guarantees perfectly shaped authentic madeleines with a signature hump on top. It's foolproof, tested, and re-tested by me in my home kitchen and numerous readers.

I am putting together all the tips and advice to guide you.So take notes of essential steps before you get started and enjoy.

I would highly recommend downloading my troubleshooting guide, where I answer all the questions regarding the madeleine pastry.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Large eggs at room temperature
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter: I always use European or European-style butter with 82% fat content.
• Flour: Use all-purpose flour or French T55 flour.
• Honey: I use chestnut honey, but you can replace it with your favorite honey, golden syrup, or maple syrup. You can use liquid or crystallized honey; its consistency doesn't matter.
• Baking powder, fresh and aluminum-free. It's responsible for the madeleine hump.
• Vanilla bean: Use scraped seeds or replace them with ½ to 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract or orange blossom water.
• Lemon zest: Use organic lemon to make fresh zest or replace it with orange zest You can omit this ingredient if desired.

How to make madeleines step-by-step

Step 1. Place large eggs, granulated sugar, honey, and scraped seeds of half of the vanilla bean in a large bowl and beat with ahand whisk for 1-2 minutes.

Step 2. Sift flour andbaking powderin a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and combine with a whisk or rubber spatula.

Step 3. Add the melted butter (it must be cooled to 120°F (50 °C) and whisk again. Add lemon zest and gently mix.

Step 4. Cover the batter with a piece of plastic wrapin contact and refrigerate overnight, or even better, for 24 hours. The plastic film must touch the surface of the batter and not only cover the bowl.

Step 5. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Using a pastry brush, butter the cavities of a metal madeleine pan. Then dust it with flour and tap any excess flour; there is no need to grease a silicone mold. Using a piping bag or a spoon, fill the cavities up to ¾.

Step 5. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 3 minutes. Then switch off the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. The madeleines will get that famous bump on top. Next, turn the oven to 320°F (160°C) for the other 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 5. Remove madeleines from the oven and cool in the mold for 5 minutes. Take them out one by one, simply pushing each cavity from the bottom. Place cakes on the side, still in the mold, so that they completely cool (do not use awire rackto avoid its traces on the surface of madeleines).

Expert Tips

1. Do not overheat butter while melting. To avoid this, turn off the heat whenhalf of the butter is melted and mix the butter off the heat.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and evenlet it heat for 10 minutes. A well-prepared hot oven is essential to get the bump of madeleines.
3. Leave the filled mold in the fridge while preheating/heating the oven.
4. Respect the temperature regimen to make perfect madeleines. The ideal temperature formula is 3 + 8 + 4, where 3 is 3 minutes of baking at 425°F/ (220°C), "8" is 8 minutes with the oven switched off, and "4" is 4 minutes of baking at 320°F (160°C). You might need to test your oven and adjust this formula, for example, as 3 + 7 + 3 or something different. Adjusting the last baking minutes is essential to prevent madeleines from burning.
5. Bake madeleines on a baking rack in the middle of the oven and not on a baking sheet.
6. Bake one batch of madeleines (one mold) at a time. After each batch, clean the mold, then bake the rest. Keep the rest of the batter in the fridge between batches.

Recipe variations

Traditional madeleines are lemon madeleines flavored with lemon, but you can customize them endlessly.

• Add poppy seeds to make lemon poppy seed madeleines.
• Spice madeleines with spices blend to make Gingerbread madeleines.
• Dip madeleines in melted dark or white chocolate.
• Create flavored madeleines with a twist on a classic.
• Experiment with different molds, such as a spherical scallop madeleine mold or a heart-shaped pan from CHEFMADE.
• Skip all of those pesky steps and make a madeleine cake in no time.

How to store madeleines

Store madeleines in an airtight container (preferablyglass) for a couple of days, up to four days. The baked madeleines don't need to be refrigerated; they can be stored at room temperature

Freeze madeleines for up to three months, but they may lose their taste a bit. To thaw, bring them to room temperature for one to two hours. Read more about how to store madeleines.

How to serve madeleines

Serve madeleines immediately (straight from the oven). The French enjoy them with a cup of Earl Gray tea, a black tea flavored with bergamot.

To appreciate their taste and release the flavor, madeleines have to be dipped in tea, the same way Marcel Proust enjoyed little cakes. But, unfortunately, coffee isn't the same.

Recipe FAQ

Love madeleines? Try these next!

HUNGRY FOR MORE?Subscribe to mynewsletterand follow me onFacebook,Pinterest,andInstagram for my latest updates.

Print

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from http://www.niksya.ru. It was originally published in February 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.