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Today I’m teaching you exactly how to make Classic French Madeleines! They taste just like the ones you’d find in a Parisian boulangerie! These soft sea shell shaped cookie cakes care so good with a cup of tea!
Madeleine Recipe
I’ve been trying to stay focused… but there’s a constant whisper in my ear: 2 weeks till Paris! Of course, the day count changes as the days fall off the calendar, but the message is always the same. Vacation is coming and it’s coming soon. So I decided to channel my unavoidable excitement into something sweet for you: a week’s worth of French inspired recipes! Beginning with a lovely batch of Authentic French Madeleines.
And just a little disclaimer: I classify this recipe as “classic” because I have several French friends who kindly helped me develop this recipe. But if you are French and this is not classic to you, I’d love to hear how you make your mads in the comments below ♥
But for now, let’s move on with the recipe! Because classic or not, these delicate little shell shaped sponge cakes are sweet, buttery, and so DELICIOUS!
Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success
Madeleine Cookies
- First things first! To make this recipe, you will need a Madeleine mold. If you don’t already own one, here’s a link to the best madeleine pan.
- Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s discuss brown butter! Because it’s the very first step in this recipe and it’s an important one. To brown butter you’ll need a saute pan, butter, and a little patience. You’ll melt the butter as normal, then continue cooking it over medium heat – stirring occasionally – until it reaches a golden brown color. Watch your butter closely as it browns, because it can burn easily! Once it’s nice and golden brown, remove it from the heat and pour it into a heatproof bowl – being sure to scrape all of the golden bits off the bottom of the pan. And that’s it! Easy, right? You’ll want to do this step first because the butter needs to cool a bit before being added to the batter.
- Because cold ingredients don’t bond, your eggs must be at room temperature before using them in this recipe.
- One of the most important steps in this recipe is beating the eggs and sugar together. You’re going to want to gradually add the sugar into the eggs, and beat the mixture for a long time; about 3 to 4 minutes. I find 3 and 1/2 minutes is my “magic number”, but visually you’ll want the mixture to be pale and very thick.
- And the hardest part of this recipe?! The waiting! The batter must be refrigerated for at least 4 hours. The good news? You can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days!
- When it’s time to bake the madeleines, you’ll want to grease your mold generously with softened butter and a dusting of flour. Otherwise they’ll stick!
- Finally, be sure to keep an eye on them as they bake. They’re ready when their “bellies” have risen and they’re golden brown.
What is a madeleine?
Madeleine cookies? Madeleine cake? What the heck are they, right? I’m going to clear it up for you right now 😉
Although many think that madeleines are French shell shaped cookies, they are actually CAKE. The batter is typically baked in a shell-shaped mold and the finished product is often decorated with confectioners’ sugar or some type of glaze.
One more thing! Madeleines are truly best served warm, and definitely best served within an hour of baking them. They lose moisture quite quickly, so they’re not a cake I suggest making ahead of time. But as I mentioned above, you can make the batter ahead of time, then bake off fresh batches as needed. I love baking them for brunch because they’re so good with a cup of coffee or tea.
Now that I feel I’ve “mastered” Classic French Madeleines, I’m eager to start experimenting with new flavors! So I was hoping you’d help me pick out the next flavor I should post? I’m between mint chocolate or lemon poppy seed?! Both sound so good to me!
This is the best Madeleine recipe! So perfect, in fact, I think Proust might even be proud…♥ (key word *might!)
More Madeleine Recipes:
- Double Chocolate Madeleines
- Rosemary, Orange, and Honey Cornmeal Madeleines
- Chocolate Dipped Coconut & Lime Madeleines
More French Recipes:
If you try this French Madeleine Recipe, let me know! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your kitchen creations makes my day.
Classic French Madeleines
Ingredients
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted until browned
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted, optional
Instructions
- Cut the butter in tablespoons and place them in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, until the solids sink to the bottom of the pan and turn golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the browned butter into a small bowl. Stir the vanilla and lemon zest into the butter, then set aside to cool.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside until needed.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed while gradually adding the sugar. Once all of the sugar has been added, increase the speed to medium-high and continue whipping the mixture until it's very thick and pale in color, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the mixer off and, using a silicon spatula, fold in the flour mixture in three additions, stirring just until combined. Fold in the butter mixture.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 2 days.
- 30 minutes before you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Generously brush the molds of your madeleine pan with butter, then lightly dust with flour.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, spoon level scoops of the batter into the center of each mold. You don't need to spread the batter.
- Bake for 12 minutes, or until the "bellies" have risen and they're golden brown.
- Cool madeleines in the pan placed on a cooling rack for a minute or two, then gently loosen them from the molds. If they stick, carefully run a small knife around the edge of the cakes until they release.
- Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve warm, with coffee or tea.
Last sentence of step 3. First fold in the flour in 3 additions, then fold in the butter. I have a very similar recipe…just be patient with the folding, especially the butter. It seems like it’s not going to come together at first, but it does! The brown butter makes it amazing!
I will try to make them,, and I will let you know
Can you freeze them? Thank you
What a beautiful and mouth-watering classic french medeleines. i love this idea and i will definitely try it at home. It would be perfect starter for special day celebration.
HAHAHAH same thing happened to me. i missed the brown butter and its right there
Gaaah. These look so delicious! <3
These madeleines are perfect. So tasty and moist.
These cookies look so pretty! Great tips, too! Pinned!
These are my favorite cookie! I’ve never made them, however for fear they would be too complicated. You take the intimidation right out of it!
Thanx for sharing amazing recipe.
I am doing these tomorrow for sure
Last time I tried they did not have the bump but the rev. So had did not cool anything or wait so that must of been the problem I will do yours
Tried this today and really really enjoy the taste. I don’t have the mould so I used different shell mould with smaller size and only made 1/3 of the recipe. Need to invest on the real madeleine’s mould as I will be maling this again and again.
The cakes look delicious and attractive, thanks for sharing the recipe I will definitely learn to do it
Please provide eggless version of the Madeline’s…
WHY would you want an eggless version?? NOT possible, make another cookie!! These Madeleines are the “Classic French Recipe” NOT to be fooled with!!!
Hahaha! No shit!!!
Absolutely!
If you absolutely Must do these eggless due to allergies and not just for vanity then use the aquafaba generic replacement protocol, aquafaba is the only way for these to keep the hump without eggs. Beat it the same as the eggs are recommended to be beaten in this recipe. But seriously, if not due to allergies leave the recipe as is, it is Devine.
can you freeze these and make them ahead weeks in advance?
Yes, can be frozen and keep for 2 months.
Must be completely cooled before putting in air tight container and omit the powdered sugar dusting step until serving.
When taking these out of freezer DO NOT THAW, simply put on cookie sheet and pop into oven at 350f for 2-5 minutes,
Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Love the idea. Can you please tell me what 1/2 a cup or 3/4 cup are in grams?
Thanks
Here is an easy conversion link: dish.allrecipes.com/cup-to-gram-conversions/
1/2 cup = 64 grams. 3/4 cup = 96 grams
The weight of a cup depends on the ingredients as one cup of granulated sugar weighs more than one cup of flour
if you cant do the conversions or use google then hang up your apron and let somebody else do the baking. just plain lazy or what?
I use a silpat madeleine mold. Is it ok to use the Pam baking spray?
do you like the silpat madeleine mold? I’m thinking of buying one.
Silpat mould for me did not brown the madeleines like I wanted them to. I would stick with metal pans for these tiny cakes.
I’m a recently certified culinary chef and I avoid Pam and other similar products not because of what’s in it but the propellant they use. It’s not good for you or your product when it’s heated. To replace an aerosol agent like Pam I actually have used in the past, a misto which runs about 10 bucks and you hand pump the air into the chamber rather than use a chemical to propel the mixture out.
thanks dear for sharing this lovely recipe. They taste amazing loved it.
I just made a batch of these. Awesome recipe! I used vanilla paste instead of vanilla extract. Will try extract next time to see if there’s a big difference. I overfilled the molds but lesson learned. Thank you for sharing!
I also use vanilla paste (nielsen-massey; I switch between their pure vanilla bean and their Madagascar bourbon one). Love the flavor and aesthetics of the vanilla bean flecks. I also have their vanilla extract, which is equally amazing.
WHY would you want an eggless version?? NOT possible, make another cookie!! These Madeleines are the “Classic French Recipe” NOT to be fooled with!!!
This was my first time making Madeleines. They came out beautifully. No changes made other than reducing the cooking time by about 2 minutes. The cool part is I was making two types of madeleines. conventional and vegan. I used this recipe for the conventional and then for the vegan I swapped aquafaba for egg and avocado oil plant based butter for the butter. They were wonderful and have been requested again.
I would love to make these cookies. My mixer does not have a whisk attachment. Will that be a problem?
Made them, and i baked many Madeleines in the past. Your recipe is the best! So easy and so delicious! Thank you 🙂
I just made these and they’re delicious! But they are almost completely flat on top, no bump. I followed the recipe exactly, no substitutions,. So what could have gone wrong? Eggs too small? Baking powder too old? Didn’t mix long en ough, or too long (4 minutes with a hand mixer, whisk attachments)? The butter seemed to resist blending in, so maybe I lost the air. I’ll try again.
You need to cool both the pan and the batter in order to get the classic hump. If you skip these steps you won’t get it. Also if you deflate your whipped eggs and sugar too much when adding the sugar and butter you won’t get it either. The eggs-sugar mixture should be whipped too ribbon stage and the dry ingredients sifted over the top and folded I gently then the cold melted butter folded in at the end. See recipes for a genoise sponge.
Thanks for sharing I was looking for a French madeleine recipe and found this. I will try this french madeleine recipe at home.
Absolutely amazing recipe, the illustration photographs are really very gorgeous!
Don’t know how they taste but looks very delicious. I have never tried this before. So, I will try this recipe and hope my family would love it.
Some wonderful flavors, to change things up a bit, are: coconut/lime, raspberry/lemon, and chocolate/orange.
Chocolate orange is an amazing idea!!!!!
Yes, raspberry/vanilla sounds wonderful and an almond or amaretto flavored version would be nice too. Chocolate/orange sounds delightful also, (like the dark chocolate covered orange sticks served at some wine bars in New York). Or how about a jamocha (coffee and chocolate) flavored Madeleine? Oo-ooh…how about a banana pudding flavored one? The possibilities are endless.
Great suggestions! I’m definitely making these. I was thinking almond and amaretto would be delicious as well. I love dark chocolate and orange jelly sticks too.
Wow what a amazing & tasty dish…I love that.
Excellent recipe. I followed it to the letter and they were perfect. Thank you!
Just made these and they turned out great. Thanks for sharing. Will save some batter to bake fresh ones tomorrow morning
These are perfection! I prepared them this morning but then had to wait. These were so delicious.
I have a suggestion if you want to modify…add a little cardamon.
Is the 4 hour wait time necessary? If so what does it do to the batter? I’ll probably suffer for 4 hours if it is…
The wait time is so that the flour can absorb the liquid (butter and other flavors) and bloom. It makes for a more homogenous batter and everything melds together. Also makes for a moist Madeleine. When the batter doesn’t rest, the flour doesn’t absorb the ingredients and gives a dry texture.
My first time making these and they were buttery, light, fluffy, everything I was looking for. I also dipped them in dark chocolate, and then drizzled white chocolate on top.
I am oing to make grapefruit ones to go with raspberry, blueberry and lemon entremet! hopefully it tastes nice!
I made your French madeleines recipe tonight. They were so light and flavorful. Couldn’t stop eating. Planning to make more soon again
Wish I could post a picture of them
Made these for the first time and they were fantastic! Dipped them in chocolate and hazelnuts for a sweet touch:)
Chocolate and hazelnut sounds amazing, Jamie. Nice idea.
I made these with my 10 year old granddaughter. We followed the recipe except we used orange zest instead of lemon. It looks like we overfilled the molds just a tad, but they had nice “bellies” and they were delicious. We dipped the tips into some melted chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar. Delicious! Nice vanilla flavor with an undertone of orange. We will definitely do these again! Thanks!
I just made these for breakfast for my husband’s birthday. They are one of his favorites and he loved them! I like that I could make the batter the night before and bake them in the morning for breakfast. They were light and fluffy with a wonderful flavor. Thank you!
I made the batter yesterday and baked them off this morning. I had to adjust my baking time to 8 minutes. I have a darker non stick pan, I did butter the wells but I didn’t flour them. I got the bump! I absolutely love these, the brown butter just elevates them to the next level! Thanks for the great recipe!
I know this post is a bit older but…I’m going to suggest pistachio flavor! Would be visually stunning w a dab of green. Yum!
I had pistachio ones in Paris and they were incredible
I was just in Paris and made Madeleines at a cooking class! I am so eager to make this recipe! Does this recipe using a “medium cookie scoop” measure of batter, mean that I should buy the regular size pan, or the pan for the mini size Madeleines?
Made these and love it!! Cooking the butter made it so tastes and delicious. Thank you.
Followed the instructions and the result was perfect!
Thank you for sharing your recipe, baked these babies, they were delicious.
I am making the batter now to let rest over night….. will let you know how they come out tomorrow.
Just made them in my mother’s vintage Madeleine pan. They are incredible! I am going to go the modern route next time and buy a Teflon plan!
I meant to give them 5 stars
I just made these today and they came out great.
I love your recipe. I waited patiently for four hours and it was worth it.
I will make them again
Thank you
Hi! Is the confectioners sugar listed in the ingredients to be used for dusting or is that to be incorporated in the batter?
Delish!!! I am not a baker. Anything that requires it’s own pan/mold is already intimidating. I also have never comment on a recipe but this one absolutely deserve big praise!
1st batch I didn’t have enough lemon zest so I added some orange zest which I love.
2nd batch I shifted the flour and it came out even more airy. I put the freshly baked plate it from of 4 guests, went to get 3 cups, came back to find the plate almost empty. Everyone loved it. These cakes are so delicious right out of the oven. The instructions are actually very easy to follow. I am already thinking about making another batch. These little cakes are so addicting.
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Delish!!! I am not a baker. Anything that requires it’s own pan/mold is already intimidating. I also have never comment on a recipe but this one absolutely deserve big praise!
1st batch I didn’t have enough lemon zest so I added some orange zest which I love.
2nd batch I shifted the flour and it came out even more airy. I put the freshly baked plate it from of 4 guests, went to get 3 cups, came back to find the plate almost empty. Everyone loved it. These cakes are so delicious right out of the oven. The instructions are actually very easy to follow. I am already thinking about making another batch. These little cakes are so addicting.
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
If anyone is looking for a great Madeleine mold sheet, Bed, Bath, and Beyond has a mold sheet made by Wilton (makers of Armetale). Their metal making expertise is unsurpassed. My sheet will outlive me for sure and will probably be passed to my grandchildren. Their asking price – 16.99 and you can buy it online.
This is my 4th time making madeleines. Loved your recipe. Only thing I did differently is I buttered, dusted and then put pan in freezer. I have very old and heavy pans and had a sticking problem. With previous recipes. Also I plan to do orange zest next with a wee dip in some good semi sweet chocolate. Thanks for the recipe. Gotta love that brown butter.
Just made these again. Only change I made was I mixed about half a cup of batter to the brown butter (sorta like tempering) to make folding the butter into remaining batter easier.
I made these today and they were a hit. The brown butter and lemon zest are a must. I tweaked the recipe by adding Jamaican mixed spice for baking and homemade vanilla extract mixture.
Is there a way to do these without a mold? I realize they won’t have the right shape but I don’t have one and my kids LOVE the store bought version. With this COVID-19 mess we are all in I don’t want to figure out how to get one right now.
If anyone is looking for a great Madeleine mold sheet, Bed, Bath, and Beyond has a mold sheet made by Wilton (makers of Armetale). Their metal making expertise is unsurpassed
Try a bundt pan, use 1/3 of batter.
So yummy.
Has anyone used silicone pans?
Is there a substitute for sugar i can use in these ?
Like honey or agave nectar or maple syrup or date syrup ?
thanks
These turned out amazing and were a hit in my house! Followed the instructions closely and now I have friends asking for the recipe. Thank you!
These turned out amazing and were a hit in my house! Followed the instructions closely and now I have friends asking for the recipe. Thank you!
Delicious! This was my first attempt at making these french cookies. They came out perfect, Will definitely make all the time. Thank you so much and I look forward to trying more of your desserts.
These are delicious, This is my first time making these french cookies. I love to bake and enjoy making desserts that are different from the norm. I look forward to making more of your desserts.
Hi, could you please define “medium” cookie scoop, in volume? I could divide the total grams by twenty and weigh each blop as it enters the mold, I suppose. ..
Have you tried experimenting with freeze dried fruits? They make wonderful additions without adding much weight or any moisture but tons of flavor! My local stores sell strawberries, raspberries, bananas, Jack fruit, blueberries, etc… Plus the lorann flavor oils are amazing as well!
Just made a batch of these, and they are great, fluffy and delicious. Thanks for the great recipe.
I have had a Madeline pan for over 6 years that I was always too intimidated to try baking with! This recipe was an absolute delight. The browned butter and lemon zest were WONDERFUL additions, and my husband kept asking if I could make this all the time now! I overfilled my Madeline pans unfortunately and I didn’t butter and flour them enough (I tried buttering and sugaring them but that was a failure), so they weren’t that pretty but they were light and fluffy and so delicious!
Will there be a change in taste if I omit the lemon zest? I don’t have any at hand at the moment.
It’ll be subtle change in flavor, but the recipe will still work!
Such a great recipe! I’ve made them 3x already, and they have been turning out so tasty! I did have one question/issue though. After refrigerating the batter for 4 hours, some of the butter that I folded in sinks to the bottom of the bowl and hardens. When I spoon or pipe the batter onto the molds, I get chunks of buter and then those madeleines don’t bake/rise properly compared to the others. Any tips?
just be patient with the folding, especially the butter. It seems like it’s not going to come together at first, but it does! The brown butter makes it amazing!
I tried these today. Instead of dusting with powdered sugar I dipped in a vanilla glaze. My grand kids do better with a glaze. They each tried one, declared that grandma sure spent a lot of time making cupcake tops. I agreed! The pan is going to my cousin with our best wishes.
Aren’t these CAKES not biscuits/cookies? Nice recipe toasting and clarifying the butter enhances the depth of flavour beautifully.nSuch delicate dainty little offerings, so easy to serve taking into account the resting time before baking.
Hi everyone! Do these have a strong lemon flavor? I’d love to dip them in chocolate but I’m not sure if the flavors would go well together?
Hi Cin! The flavor is very subtle! And dipping them in chocolate tastes delicious! The lemon really doesn’t come through, but lemon and chocolate are actually a delicious flavor combination.
Thanks for an easy to follow recipe! I made them and they are delicious, but I find that I notice a bitter aftertaste. I think I may just be a bit sensitive to the baking powder, but I’ve never experienced this before. Could I potentially cut down on the 1 1/4 tsps or is that necessary to achieve the signature hump? Thanks!!
Love your recipe. Perfect in taste and texture. However the recipe makes only 20. How do I make adjustment for 24 madeleines? Hope to hear from you, thanks!
It turned out beautifully. Though, it is a little dry. Any tip? Thank you!
Hi! Madeleines are designed to be a little dry, as they’re meant to be dipped in tea or coffee. But if they seemed extra dry, you can try removing them a minute earlier next time.
I would love to make these cookies. My mixer does not have a whisk attachment. Will that be a problem?
Hi. How do I adjust the ingredients for Madeleine mold with 12 cavity ?
So great! Both delicious, beautiful, and not too difficult to make, especially this cake surprised my husband with his cooking skills! Thank you!
thank you Ashley for this authentic french recipe. Definitely going to try it.
Summoned up my courage and made these today. They came out light and fluffy, not very pretty but hey, but the taste is very eggy which is not what madeleines taste like! Any idea if I might have done something wrong? Followed the receipe religiously and used exact same quantities. Thank you!
This is a French delight! Careful not to eat too many it could become your favorite and only dessert
Made this a couple of times already. Followed directions and they turned out just perfect. Making them again soon. They are amazingly delicious.
How big is a medium cookie scoop?
I always thought that Madeleines would be so difficult to make and for a long time I never even dared trying. Then I tried this recipe and what a success it is …. every single time. I follow the instructions exactly and the Madeleines are amazing every time. So light and airy, like a cloud.
I think the temperature was too high. I started at 350 but noticed the recipe called for 375. They turned out way too brown- a dark brown. But I am guilty of not opening the door to look at 10 mins.
I will do 350.
Also, instruction doesn’t say to take out batter 30 mins before or just right before putting in the mold and oven. And also, why so long to pre-heat the oven? Thanks!
FANTASTIC. Was looking for an original recipe and found this treasure. Came out beautiful! Thank you!
Such a good recipe! I made these today and it came out so so good.
These were delicious. I followed the recipe carefully and they turned out perfect!
I made these today and I have to say They Are The Best!!!! It was my second attempt. The first was another recipe . My mom is going to love these !!! The flavor is spot on being authentic and the texture as well. They are light and not dried out. The problem is you can’t just eat one or two or three. Before you know it they are all gone.
I’m so glad I came across your recipe!!! I am going to make these from now on.
Thank you
Thank you
Thank you.
I have had these before and they are fabulous. I plan to make them but don’t have the Madeline pan so I have to find a store that sells the pan. Can you use cake flour?