No resting, no tricky technique, just perfect, golden, light & airy Madeleines in under 30 minutes! I’m so proud to be sharing my recipe with you today, after weeks of testing I finally have a recipe for the best little butter cakes I’ve ever tasted and you won’t believe how easy they are! Includes a how-to video in the recipe card!
These delicate cookies are shockingly easy to make considering how hard this recipe was for me to crack! Also known as French butter cakes, madeleines are well-known, easily-recognizable, sophisticated little cakes. They have a reputation for being fussy, and what they’re really known for is their scalloped shell-shape and their characteristic bump. It took weeks upon weeks to finally get this recipe perfected, but it was definitely worth it.
If you’ve made madeleines before, you’ll notice that my recipe is fairly different from many traditional recipes. It also produces better results with simpler technique than traditional recipes. There’s no whipping our eggs to “ribbon” stage and there’s no long chilling period (or any chilling period at all). Just perfect madeleines that:
- Are light and airy with a melt-in-your-mouth interior
- Beautiful golden brown with just barely crisp exteriors.
- Perfectly shell-shaped on one side with the classic madeleine “hump” on the other
- Not at all fussy or difficult.
I’ve always been honest with you here. If fussy technique or extra time is needed for the best results, I’m going to encourage you to learn that technique or take that time. Despite my hatred of water baths, I teach you how to use one in my creme brûlée recipe, and I already have my fair share of fussier French recipes (cream puffs and petit fours, to name a few!) in which we’ve tackled different techniques. I was ready to spend paragraphs talking about how to ribbon and the importance of resting (I still talk about it a little below).
But after weeks of testing, it turns out it isn’t necessary after all.
Are They Cookies or Cakes?
Technically, madeleines (or petite madeleines) are small butter cakes. However, because of their shape and size they’re often referred to as cookies. Truthfully they’re mostly like a cross between the two desserts (and who could ask for a better hybrid?). They’re a bit more dense than your average cake recipe, but much, much lighter and fluffier than any cookie.
Whether you call them cookies or cakes, there are two absolutely key characteristics that all madeleines must have: A beautiful scalloped, shell-shaped exterior on one side and a pronounced hump on the other. Check and check ☑️ ☑️
If you’re curious, here’s a brief history on the origins of madeleines.
What You Need:
- Butter. My madeleine recipe uses more butter than other recipes you might have tried or seen. It’s not a mistake, this creates more flavorful, more buttery, more delicious madeleines than you’ve seriously ever tasted before. For real. Melt the butter before you begin so that it has time to cool before you add it to your batter.
- Eggs. You need just two eggs for this recipe. Large or extra large will work (and I’ve even used jumbo-sized with success).
- Sugar. I use a blend of granulated and brown sugar. Many madeleine recipes strictly stick to granulated sugar, but adding brown sugar gives the madeleines a richer flavor, a more distinct golden-brown coloring, and it also encourages a little bit of extra caramelization where the batter makes contact with the shell indent in the pan. This adds so much flavor and an extra (slight) crispness to the exterior of the madeleine. It’s just so good! I use slightly more sugar than some traditional recipes, but I don’t recommend reducing the amount. It makes them delicious straight out of the oven, no dusting of powdered sugar or chocolate dip required.
- Vanilla Extract and Salt. For flavor.
- Flour. My recipe uses all-purpose (“plain”) flour. You’ll sift it into your batter (to remove any lumps in the flour) and gently fold in with a spatula. Madeleine batter is fairly thin, like cake batter.
- Citrus Zest (optional). Lemon or orange zest is a common addition, and if I have a fresh citrus fruit lying around I always add some (make sure to avoid the pith!). If you don’t, though, you can skip it and they’ll still be delicious.
Please note that baking powder is not included on this list. Many madeleine recipes use baking powder to help encourage the madeleine hump/belly to form, but it is not necessary here.
Please also note that this is just an overview of the ingredients used. For the full recipe with amounts, please scroll down to the recipe card.
Another Key Ingredient: The Madeleine Pan
Another key “ingredient” is the pan! You absolutely need a scalloped pan like the one seen above in order to make madeleines. It’s the only way to get that characteristic shape. This is the pan that I use.
I use a non-stick pan, but it’s still important to prep the pan before using to make sure that the madeleines don’t stick. Non-stick spray works, but my preference is to mix together melted butter and a pinch of flour and coat the pan with that. It gives the scalloped exterior shell of the madeleine a better, butterier flavor.
Ribboning and Resting (And Why I do Neither)
Most madeleine recipes call for the batter to be both ribboned and rested before it is baked. My recipe calls for neither, though I tested many, many recipes where I tried both techniques before landing here.
Ribboning (in this instance) is the process of whipping the eggs vigorously (usually with an electric mixer) until the batter is thickened and falls “like a ribbon” from the beater. This incorporates a lot of air into the batter and is typical of a genoise (or, “sponge cake”, which madeleines technically are). My recipe does require you to vigorously whisk the eggs/sugar/salt by hand for a few seconds, but it’s not necessary to go all the way to ribbon stage. With our higher ratio of butter and sugar here, we still end up with a light, delicately cakey interior without needing an electric mixer.
Resting simply means chilling in this situation. Resting helps the batter to thicken and in many recipes it’s essential in order for the hallmark bump or hump of the madeleine to form. The idea is that the chilled batter expands quickly in a hot oven, causing the hump.
Resting is critical with many recipes (even with my crepes I call for at least a half an hour of chilling to help the gluten relax). With some of the madeleine recipes I developed and tested, resting was critical or the madeleines ended up flat (or they spread with crackled edges out of the pan). But with this version, the madeleines still end up with a perfect, buttery-soft interior and that trademark bump, with or without resting.
Your batter will thicken while the madeleines rest. If you have a single small pan like I do and need to wait for one batch to bake before using up the rest of the batter, you’ll notice it is much more stiff when you go to bake round two. This is fine and there’s no significant difference in the madeleines made with the thinner or thicker batter. That being said, if you want to make the batter a day or two in advance, you can store it tightly covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake.
Toppings
Many madeleine-makers top theirs off with a dusting of powdered sugar just before serving. This adds a nice extra sweetness to the cakes, but while I added some sugar for aesthetics in the photo below my recipe is perfectly sweetened so that no additional sugar is necessary.
A chocolate coating (made of melting chocolate bars, melting wafers, or chocolate chips and then dipping the cakes) is another popular choice, but again it’s not necessary here. Never thought I’d say chocolate isn’t a necessity but somehow here we are.
More Recipes You Might Like:
Storing
Madeleines are truly best served fresh, shortly after they are made (even better if they’re still warm!). However, these will keep for up to three days in an airtight container at room temperature. They may also be frozen for at least a month if allowed to cool completely and then frozen in an airtight container. Again though, they’re better fresh!
Enjoy! I really can’t wait to hear how you like these, so please leave me a comment or tag me on Instagram when you try them!
Madeleines (the Best, Easiest Recipe, with Video!)
Ingredients
For Coating the Pan:
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
For Madeleines:
- 10 Tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter cut into pieces
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar firmly packed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup (155 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and whisk together 1 Tablespoon melted butter and 1 ½ teaspoons flour. Use a pastry brush to lightly but thoroughly grease every cavity of your madeleine pan. Set aside.1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 ½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
- In a small heatproof bowl, melt remaining 10 Tablespoons of butter. Set aside to cool.10 Tablespoons (141 g) unsalted butter
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugars, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk vigorously until thoroughly combined (about 30 seconds).2 large eggs, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Sift flour into the egg mixture, about ⅓ of the flour at a time, gently stirring into egg mixture after each addition.1 ¼ cup (155 g) all-purpose flour
- Drizzle cooled melted butter around the edge of the batter and add zest, if using. Gently fold into batter using a spatula until ingredients are thoroughly combined (but do not over-mix).2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest
- Drop batter by heaping Tablespoon into prepared pan.
- Transfer to center rack of 375F (190C) preheated oven and bake for 9 minutes or madeleines are light golden brown and spring back when lightly touched. Remove to a cooling rack to cool immediately.
- If your madeleine pan did not hold all of the batter, allow the pan to cool before re-brushing with butter/flour mixture and refilling with batter and baking your next batch.
- If desired, sprinkle madeleines with additional powdered sugar or dip in melted chocolate before serving.
Notes
Storing
Madeleines are best served fresh, but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Roumina
It tasted amazing but I had a tiny problem. Mine didn’t make any hump. It did puff and become thick but it was flat. I baked twice and the second time I tried less batter and it was less thick but still flat and no hump. Is it because I used silicon mold instead of pan?
Sam
Hmmm that’s interesting. It’s hard to say but the silicone mold could be causing the issue since they don’t conduct heat as well as a metal pan does.
Susan
Just made two batch and. They turned out perfectly!
Basma
Thank you tor this amazing recipe! Can’t believe how easy and tasty these are to make!
My family loved them ! Thank you 🙏🏻
C
My 1st attempt @ making madeleines – they came out great! I’ll keep this recipe as a favorite!
Alexis
Would it be bad if I used salted butter? I just have so much…
Sam
Hi Alexis! That will work fine. You will just want to omit the additional added salt. 🙂
Nichole
Just made these with my 7-yo granddaughter and they turned out perfectly!! We used orange zest in the batter. Not sure why I was kind of intimidated to make them, they all have beautiful bumps and perfectly golden, slightly crisp edges. So, so good. Thank you for sharing your recipe & techniques. =)
Di Johnson
I decided to try this recipe because the store bought ones kept going up in price and they contained preservatives.
Very easy to make and taste better than store bought.
Maureen
can you use cake flour instead of all purpose?
Sam
Hi Maureen! I haven’t tried it, but I think it could work. Make sure to substitute it properly. 🙂
Earle Carper
hello i am back i tried again this time i cook them 1 min less they were a little better but still not light and fluffy also my batter is not as thin as your do not know what i am doing wrong you had told me that you though that they were slightly over cooked is there anything else you can suggest
thank you for getting back so quick
Sam
Hmm is it possible there’s too much flour in the batter if it’s really thick? Are you making any other substitutions?
Earle Carper
no i am not making any substitutions at all i follow the recipe to the letter
Olive
Just chiming in to say that it could be the way you’re measuring out your flour, that too much is being compressed in and you’re getting more flour than the recipe calls for. Maybe try googling videos on how to measure out flour accurately?
Sam
I do have a video and tutorial on how to measure flour, too, hopefully that will be helpful 🙂
Earle Carper
mine came out tasting like flour and didnt come out soft
Sam
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear this! They may have been slightly over-baked. 🙁
John Rhoe
The BEST madeleines that I have ever had! I am Scandinavian, so says a lot! I used orange zest and dusted them with powdered sugar. They did not need it, but they looked complete with it. I think that I will try dark chocolate wit the next batch!
Sue
Great recipe and the flavor was excellent. Didn’t have a Madeline pan so I improvised with cup cake liners, (folded in half),turned out pretty good. My Madeline pan’s arrived today, will definitely be trying again!
Louise Giammatteii
O M G Not only the best but the easiest recipe. I will make them much more often now with this great recipe. So happy I found you.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Louise! 🙂
Meg
Seeing these comments, I’m sure it was me and my kitchen, but I did 4 batches to try to get it right and they consistently came out much heavier and denser than a traditional French madeleine. They were swimming in butter in the oven.
Sam
That’s very frustrating, Meg. Was the butter well incorporated into the batter before it was added to the pan? Did your batter look the same as mine does in the photos/video? Would love to help figure this out!
Cameron
first madeleine recipe ive tried and they taste great! having some problems with them turning out with lots of little bubbles, and not a clearly defined hump. could it be too much salt or too much butter on the pan? heat not right?
Sam
Hi Cameron! So glad you enjoyed them! Hmm, the salt would not be an issue, too much butter in the pan could potentially be if all of the bubbles were on the side where the madeleine was facing the pan, or perhaps could something have been accidentally mis-measured?
Susan
Wow! Incredible! I thought my batter was way too thick by the time I was scooping (it was thicker than in the video) but they turned out fantastic!
Lee Ann Kimbrell
Very easy really enjoyed making them
Paulie
This recipe is easier to make than the traditional madeleine recipe I normally use. I added 1/8 tsp of lemon flavoring rather than the zest and the flavor was very good. My only complaint is that, as another reviewer noted, the cakes were dense rather than light. Possibly it was the eggs I used, which were very fresh. The albumen of fresh eggs is firmer than that of older eggs and that may have effected the batter consistency. I will make this recipe again and still use fresh eggs but next time I will whip the eggs separately before adding to the sugar mixture.
Lauren E
SAAAAAAAAM…OMG i made these again, and they turned out #amazing again!!! this time, I added pulsed freeze dried strawberries to part of the batter, and pulsed toasted coconut flakes to the remaining batter (1/2 cup ea.). SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!! one was a mix of the two flavors… it was super delish! i was worried that the addition would keep my hump from forming, but it didn’t!!! they were perfect again!!! i think i’m gonna try your boston cream cupcakes next!!! thank you for all that you do!!! p.s.- i ate the mixed one before i could take a pic for instagram LOLOL!!!
Sam
🤣 Whoops! I’m glad you are enjoying them so much! 🙂
Jackie
love this recipe! I use vanilla bean paste and they turn out even better. I did have a question though my father in law can’t have gluten could I sub the all purpose flour for gluten free.
Sam
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them so much, Jackie! I haven’t personally tried it with gluten free flour, but I have had other commenters report success using a 1:1 gluten free flour. Let me know how they turn out if you try. 🙂
Stacey
Any suggestions for modifying this FANTASTIC recipe to make chocolate madeleines?
Sam
Hi Stacey! Unfortunately I haven’t quite nailed down a chocolate version so I can’t say for sure how to do it. 🙁