I’ve been wanting to make madeleines for a while now. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re like a cake shaped like a cookie, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. Since I’d never made madeleines for the blog before, this time I made the classic ones.
Classic madeleines have lemon zest, which is what gives them their delicious, typical flavor. You can easily replace the zest with vanilla extract if you prefer.
Classic Lemon Madeleines Recipe
Dish: Breakfast, Cookies, Tea Time, Dessert
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 16 madeleines
Author:Fatima
Ingredients
To grease and flour the mold
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Vegetable oil | 1 tbsp |
| All‑purpose flour | 1 tbsp |
For the madeleines
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Unsalted butter | 90 g |
| Eggs | 2 |
| Brown sugar | 45 g |
| White granulated sugar | 45 g |
| Zest of ½ lemon | as needed |
| Salt | ½ tsp |
| Baking powder | ½ tsp |
| Self‑rising flour | 90 g |
For decoration
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Powdered sugar / icing sugar / confectioners’ sugar | 2 tbsp |
Instructions:
To grease and flour the mold:
- Dampen some absorbent paper with vegetable oil and rub it onto the mold. You only need a thin layer.
- Use a sieve to dust the pan with flour. Turn it upside down and tap it on your work surface to remove any excess flour.
- Put the mold in the freezer (yes, where you make ice).
For the madeleines:
- First, we’re going to toast our butter. Put it in a light‑colored pan or pot so you can see it brown. Cook it over medium heat until it melts and starts to sizzle. When it stops sizzling, you’ll see small patches at the bottom turn golden and then brown. When it reaches that point, remove the butter from the pan. Alternatively, you can simply use melted butter, but I swear this process gives it a really special touch. Let it cool completely before mixing.
- Use a hand whisk to mix the eggs with both types of sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest.
- Add the flour gradually, mixing with the whisk.
- Add the browned butter and mix.
- Fill your molds using a piping bag. You want to leave one or two millimeters of the sides uncovered.
- Place the mold in the freezer for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator. This is important to achieve the madeleine pearl.
- Bake the madeleines in a preheated oven at 220°C / 430°F with only the bottom heat on (if your oven is gas, this is how it naturally works). If you can’t turn off the top heat, place another baking sheet on the top rack to block some of the heat. This is what ensures the pearl appears. Bake them for 10‑12 minutes. They should be golden brown on the bottom and a nice yellow on top with the pearl (they won’t brown on top, so don’t let them dry out).
- Once ready, take them out of the oven and unmold them immediately by gently but firmly tapping the mold on your kitchen surface.
For decoration:
- To achieve the sugar effect I did at the end, you first need to make sure the madeleines are completely cold so they don’t melt the sugar.
- Then, place a small piece of parchment paper over the madeleine, covering all but one corner. Use a sieve to sprinkle sugar onto that corner, then carefully remove the paper.
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrient | Amount per Serving | % Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 140 kcal | 7% |
| Total Fat | 7 g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g | 20% |
| Trans Fat | 0 g | |
| Cholesterol | 50 mg | 17% |
| Sodium | 45 mg | 2% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 17 g | 6% |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g | 4% |
| Total Sugars | 9 g | |
| Protein | 2 g | 4% |
| Calcium | 15 mg | 1% |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 3% |
Disclaimer: Nutrition estimates are for general guidance only, based on a 2,000‑calorie diet. Actual values vary with gluten‑free flour blend, butter type, and madeleine size.