These madeleines are a classic French recipe for soft, delicate treats with a buttery texture, crispy edges, and a beautiful shell shape, ready in less than 30 minutes.
France has many regions (somewhat similar to American states), and each region has one or more traditional and highly localized French recipes. Crepes are from Brittany, Remy’s Delicious Restaurant is from Marseille, and classic quiche is from Lorraine.
French madeleines are an authentic local recipe popular in Commercy, another city in the Lorraine region. This is widely considered to be the most popular of French cookies. In France, this is a childhood recipe, and this version is a no-fail recipe that everyone looking for a great and easy French bread experience should try.
Madeleines are small French baked goods with a special shell shape and a hump in the middle. A soufflé omelet is to cookies what the classic omelet is to typically French cuisine. Depending on the recipe, it tastes like a butter cake with notes of vanilla, lemon, or orange. It is native to the Lorraine region of eastern France, where it is often called Madeleine de Commercie.
Ingredients and Substitutes
The ingredients for making madeleines are very basic.
All-purpose flour – You may also be able to use gluten-free flour, but I haven’t tried it. Expect the texture to be a little thicker. Eggs – I prefer to use large cage-free eggs. Milk – This recipe uses classic milk or plant-based alternatives like almond milk or coconut milk. Butter – Melt and cool. I prefer grass-fed butter. Baking powder – for fluffy dough and classic lumps. Vanilla extract, orange water, or lemon zest.
The best way to create a variety of flavorful madeleine cookies is to add different extracts to the dough. The most popular French flavors added to madeleine dough are:
orange blossom essence rosewater lemon zest
These flavors can be added as an addition to vanilla extract or as a substitute for vanilla.
How to make French Madeleines
Baking classic French madeleines is easier than you think. The trick is to take a madeleine mold and bake the recipe in two stages at two temperatures. First, let’s show you everything you need to make light and buttery madeleines.
First, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, or place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds until melted. Set aside to cool. Next, in a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until pale in color, pale in texture, and foamy. It is called the ribbon stage of egg whisking. You can also use a hand whisk or stand mixer with the whisk attachment. With a stand mixer set on medium speed, beat the egg mixture until pale, light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stir milk and vanilla together and fold into batter. Add flour and baking powder little by little, stirring halfway through. Pour the melted butter into the bowl mixed with the flour. The madeleine dough should be quick, liquid, and runny. that’s what you want. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Chilling the dough before baking will help the madeleines swell in the center and form that characteristic nub. Preheat oven to 460 °F (240 °C). A high oven temperature is the secret to making perfect madeleines. The unique shell shape with an uneven center is created by the high temperatures used during initial baking. Lightly coat a madeleine mold with butter or avocado oil. Fill each madeleine shell to 3/4 of the level. The madeleines will rise, so if you don’t fill the holes all the way, they will overflow. Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 240 °C (460 °F) for 5 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 180 °C (350 °F) and continue baking for another 5 minutes. The madeleines will bake to a golden brown color and a cute bumpy shape will appear in the center.If you insert a pick into the center, it will come out beautifully. Remove each madeleine cookie from the mold and place, nub side up, on a wire rack to cool.
Precautions for storage
Madeleine cookies will keep for 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight cookie box. It is convenient to freeze the baked madeleines in a ziplock bag and thaw them at room temperature the day before. Store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
offer suggestions
The French do not decorate madeleines. We eat it plain with tea or coffee. A favorite after-school snack for children in France, they often add flavor to madeleine dough rather than garnish it.
You can add taste and flavor by adding:
Powdered sugar powder Chocolate shell. Dip shells in melted white chocolate or melted dark chocolate. Chill in the refrigerator to harden the shell.
allergy exchange
Here are some ideas for making recipes if you are allergic to some ingredients.
Egg-free – Commercial egg substitutes may also work, but they will vary in color and texture. Dairy-free – Replace butter with margarine. You can use any plant-based milk such as soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk. Sugar-free – Sugar-free madeleines can be made using sugar-free crystalline sweeteners such as erythritol.
FAQ
Below are answers to frequently asked questions about how to bake madeleines.
Madeleines taste like little butter cakes and have a lovely funny shell shape that shows a special protrusion, the madeleine hump. Adding orange blossom essence to the dough gives it a vanilla or orange flavor.
If you don’t have a madeleine mold, you can use a mini muffin mold to make the center rise nicely. If the muffin holes are too wide and too large, they will be flat and dry.
The French eat madeleines as a quick snack, afternoon tea, or even for breakfast. Dipping madeleines in coffee or hot chocolate is a delicious way to enjoy the French sweet.
No, the classic madeleine recipe is not gluten-free. Use regular all-purpose flour.
Yes, you can use this recipe to make madeleines in mini muffin pans or molds made for peanut butter cups.
See more French recipes
Below are some French-inspired recipes for you to try.
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Pour the butter into a small nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve. Remove from heat. You can also add the butter to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds until completely melted. Set aside to cool.
Add eggs and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric whisk, beat on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until frothy, pale, and light in color.
Add milk, vanilla extract, flour, and baking powder and stir gently to create a smooth cake batter. Just before finishing, add the melted butter and mix.
The dough should be yellowish, slightly thick and smooth.
Refrigerate for 15 minutes. The dough will harden as it cools in the fridge, but this step guarantees nice madeleine lumps.
Preheat oven to 460 °F (240 °C). Lightly coat the madeleine mold with oil spray. Let’s put that aside.
Remove from the refrigerator and fill the madeleine holes to 3/4 of the height, but not to the top.
Bake the madeleines at 460 °F (240 °C) for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 °F (180 °C) and continue baking for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown and a pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Masu. .
Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving.
To store: Store in a cake box in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in a Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 1 month.
Provided by: 1 madeleinecalorie: 121.6 kcal (6%)carbohydrates: 16 g (5%)fiber: 0.3 g (1%)Net carbs: 15.7 gprotein: 2.1 g (4%)fat: 5.4 g (8%)Saturated fat: 3.2 g (20%)Polyunsaturated fats: 0.3 gMonounsaturated fats: 1.5 gTrans fat: 0.2 gcholesterol: 36.9 mg (12%)sodium: 57.4 mg (2%)potassium: 25.6 mg (1%)sugar: 7.7 g (9%)Vitamin A: 179.9 IU (4%)Vitamin B12: 0.1 μg (2%)Vitamin D: 0.1 μg (1%)calcium: 14.6 mg (1%)iron: 0.6 mg (3%)magnesium: 3.6 mg (1%)zinc: 0.2 mg (1%)
About the author
Karine Claudepierre
Hello, I’m Carine. I’m a food blogger, author, recipe developer, published cookbook author, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I earned my Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health) in 2014. I have a passion for sharing all the easy and delicious recipes that are delicious and healthy. My expertise in this field is based on my background in chemistry and years of practicing a keto low-carb diet. But my husband is vegan, so I’m also very familiar with vegetarian and vegan cooking.
I now eat a more balanced diet, alternating between keto and Mediterranean diets.
Cooking and baking are my true passions. In fact, I only publish a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of it was eaten by my husband and two kids before I could take a photo.
All of my recipes are tested at least three times to make sure they work, and I pride myself on keeping them as accurate as possible.
See all my recipes in the recipe index.
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