These madeleine cookies are soft, buttery little cakes with a golden shell shape and a signature hump in the middle. They taste like vanilla and warm butter, with a tender crumb and lightly crisp edges. A batch comes together with simple pantry ingredients, and your kitchen smells wonderful while they bake.
Madeleines look fancy, but the method is easy once you know the three small rules: whip the eggs and sugar until thick, fold the butter in gently, and chill the batter before baking. Follow those and you will get bakery-style cookies that are perfect with coffee or tea.
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Why This Works
Beating the eggs and sugar until pale and thick traps air in the batter, which gives madeleines their light, springy texture. Folding in the flour and butter gently keeps that air in, so avoid stirring hard once the dry ingredients go in.
A short rest in the refrigerator helps the cold batter meet the hot oven, and many bakers find it gives a taller hump and a fluffier cake. It also gives the flour time to hydrate, so the texture is more even. Melted butter should be cooled until it is no longer hot, otherwise it can cook the eggs or deflate the batter.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus a little extra for the pan
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon, optional
How to Make Madeleine Cookies
1. Melt the butter.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan or the microwave, then set it aside to cool until it is warm but not hot. Use a little extra melted butter to brush the madeleine pan.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make sure your baking powder is fresh, since it is what lifts the cookies.
3. Whip the eggs and sugar.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with a hand mixer or whisk for several minutes, until the mixture is pale, thick, and falls from the beaters in a ribbon. Stir in the vanilla and the lemon zest if you are using it.
4. Fold in the flour.
Sift or sprinkle the flour mixture over the eggs in two additions and fold gently with a spatula until just combined.
5. Fold in the butter.
Pour in the cooled butter and fold until the batter is shiny and smooth. Do not mix hard.
6. Chill the batter.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Do not skip this step, since it helps the madeleines rise and form their hump.
7. Heat the oven and prepare the pan.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the cavities of a madeleine pan with melted butter, getting into the ridges.
8. Fill and bake.
Spoon about a tablespoon of batter into each mold, filling it a little over halfway. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers have puffed into a hump.
9. Cool.
Let the madeleines cool in the pan for a minute or two, then tap them out onto a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar if you like.
How to Serve
Madeleines are best served the same day, still slightly warm, with a cup of coffee or tea. For a dessert tray, set them beside a plate of best soft Christmas cookies and a batch of no bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. They also pair well with a slice of sour cream coffee cake for brunch, or a loaf of super moist banana bread at a bake sale.
How to Store and Reheat
Madeleines taste best on the day they are baked. Keep any extras in an airtight container at room temperature. To bring them back to life, warm them briefly in a 300 degree F oven. You can also freeze cooled madeleines in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 1 month and thaw them at room temperature.
Tips and Variations
Check your leaveners before you bake. The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach AnswerLine explains that baking powder is good for about 6 months after opening, and you can test it by adding a teaspoon to hot water to see if it bubbles.
Do not overfill the molds. The batter spreads as it bakes, so a heaping tablespoon is plenty. If you have only one pan, keep the remaining batter in the refrigerator and wash and rebutter the pan before the second batch.
For variety, add a little extra lemon zest, a pinch of cinnamon, or dip the cooled cookies halfway into melted chocolate. A light dusting of powdered sugar just before serving is always lovely.
FAQ
Why did my madeleines not get a hump?
The usual causes are old baking powder, batter that was not chilled, or batter that was overmixed. Using cold batter and a properly preheated oven gives the best chance of a tall hump.
Do I have to chill the batter?
It is strongly recommended. Chilling for 30 minutes helps the cookies rise and makes the texture more tender. If you are short on time, a short chill is better than none.
Can I make the batter ahead of time?
Yes. You can refrigerate the batter, covered, until you are ready to bake, and stir it gently before spooning it into the pan. Very long storage can change the texture, so plan to bake within a day.
What if I do not have a madeleine pan?
A mini muffin tin works, although you will not get the shell shape. Fill the cups about halfway and watch the baking time closely, since the cakes will be smaller or larger depending on the pan.
Why are madeleines called cookies?
Madeleines are really small French sponge cakes, but they are often called cookies because of their size and how they are served with tea or coffee. The texture is soft like cake with slightly crisp edges.
Easy Madeleine Cookies
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled, plus extra for the pan
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zested, optional
Instructions
Cooking
- Melt the butter and let it cool until warm but not hot.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
- Beat the eggs and sugar for several minutes until pale and thick. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest.
- Fold in the flour mixture gently, then fold in the cooled butter until the batter is shiny.
- Cover and chill the batter for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees F and brush a madeleine pan with melted butter.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of batter into each mold, filling it a little over halfway.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden with a puffed hump. Cool for a minute, then remove from the pan.
