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Vanilla madeleines
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Vanilla Madeleines

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Chilling time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Servings: 24 madeleines

Ingredients

Madeleine Batter

  • 160 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 150 grams (¾ cup) granulated sugar
  • 150 grams (⅔ cup) unsalted butter melted and cooled back to room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste

Simple Glaze (optional)

  • 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
  • 120 grams (½ cup) water

Instructions

To make the cookies:

  • Lightly grease a 16- or 24-cavity madeleine pan with melted butter, then lightly dust with flour to prevent sticking (or using a baking spray).
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder (to combine and aerate).
  • In a separate medium-sized mixing bowl, beat the first measure of sugar together with the eggs for several minutes, until the mixture is light yellow and very thick.
  • Add the melted-then-cooled butter and vanilla, and beat for another few minutes. The batter should be quite voluminous.
  • Gently fold in the flour mix, so the batter loses as little volume as possible.
  • Portion the batter into the lightly greased wells of a standard-size madeleine pan, using 1.5 tablespoons of batter for each well. Freeze the pan+batter (covered or uncovered), for 2-3 hours. If you have extra batter remaining, cover & refrigerate the batter.

To glaze (optional):

  • While the batter chills, make the simple syrup glaze. In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

To bake/assemble:

  • Bake the madeleines in a preheated 375°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until they're light brown at the edges. You should see the bump rise up in the middle of each madeleine.
  • Immediately unmold the baked madeleines by gently tapping the pan on the counter. Gently grasp a madeleine at one end, and dip in the simple syrup to cover completely. Set on a rack (over parchment paper, to catch any drips) to cool for a few minutes.
  • Serve while still warm.

Notes

Storage:
  • batter will keep in an air-tight container for 3 days in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer.
  • baked madeleines are really best fresh from the oven, and will go stale within half a day after baking.
Flavor additions/variations (add any of the following during step 3 (with the melted butter & vanilla)):
  • Lemon - zest of 1 lemon
    • replace the simple syrup with a whisked mixture of 120 grams (½ cup) lemon juice and 60 grams (½ cup) confectioner's sugar
  • Lavender - 2 teaspoons dried culinary-grade lavender
  • Vanilla rose/orange - seeds from 1 vanilla bean, ½ -> 1 teaspoon rose water or orange water (start with the smaller amount to your taste preference)
  • Gingerbread - 1½ teaspoon ground ginger + ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon + ¼ teaspoon ground cloves