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.
Anon User
I have made the recipe before with normal all purpose flour, however my dad, who is gluten free, has not been home. He is now home and I’d like to make some for him. Is it possible to substitute the all purpose flour with all purpose gluten free flour?
If it is possible, do I need to add more time or change the recipe elsewhere to make sure they bake correctly?
Sam
Unfortunately I’m not sure if you would need to make any alterations for the gluten free flour. Hopefully someone else can chime in with some advice or if you do try it I would love to know how it turns out.
Anon User
I tried it! I baked it the exact same except with gluten free all purpose flour. My mom described it as chalky so I think I need to change something up. It tasted similar, but the texture was drier. I assume that is probably from it being gluten free as gluten free alternatives can be very dry. They rose which was interesting as I did not think they would. Also, unlike the normal ones, the flour and butter method to coat the pan kind of stuck to the outside.
piper ashley
I loved this recipe!! It was my first time EVER making madeleines, and I was really nervous that I would ruin them. I think I over-mixed when I put the butter in, but overall, I loved it! I doubled the batch for everything except for the orange zest, and it came out really well! I will be keeping this recipe in my book FOREVER, Thankyou!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Loretta
If I don’t have unsalted butter, can I use regular butter?
Sam
Hi Loretta! Salted butter will work here. I would just omit the salt. 🙂
Bun of Cinna
Question about storing frozen. How do you eat after frozen? Do you just thaw or rebate?
Sam
I would just thaw them to room temperature in the container they were frozen in. 🙂
Pmp
Thanks for the recipe. I loved how they came out and my son liked them. Though he thought they lacked a dip or condiment of some sort. I only made them to eat with tea time. (Tea is my new obsession 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Theresa Zeits
Just made it. OMG delicious! Def saving this recipe!
Gail L Green
Just finished making these. I feel like a baking rock star! Thank you for the recipe!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Gail! 🙂
Jj
How would I make these chocolate
Sam
Unfortunately I haven’t quite figured it out yet so I can’t advise on how to do it. 🙁
Lucy
Made about 1,000 times!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy them so much, Lucy! 🙂
Becca
i am going to make these over the weekend for my wonderful office mates/doctors. they have come to appreciate my “pretentious baking tendencies” lol. the last time i made something, it was a 14″ tall chocolate mocha cake. I like fun and fancy. and while these beautiful cookies are technically understated.. they always stand out and impress. thank you for sharing this excellent recipe
Sam
I hope everyone loves them, Becca! That’s very nice of you to take them desserts all the time. 🙂
Caitlin Teleki
For me, the texture, taste and color of these are not quite right. They aren’t as fluffy, are slightly too sweet with the brown sugar, and are missing that sunny yellow interior that the classic method produces.
My first tray was under baked after 9 minutes. My second tray was baked through but too dark on the bottoms after 11 minutes.
I wish this shortcut version yielded a more classic result. In my opinion, the extra work of a “regular” recipe is worth it!
josette soldano
I want to do blue cheese madeleine .. can I substitute sugar for blue cheese in your recipe ? everybody use buttermilk .. hum!
Gen
Can I turn this into a butter cake…like just simply pour the batter on a cake pan? Yes or no?
Sam
Hi Gen! I’m not sure how it would work, honestly.
Erin B
I couldn’t get the insides to fully cook unless the outside was almost crispy
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this, Erin! Is it possible that your oven temperature was off for some reason? Maybe it was hotter than it says it was?
Jamie Gillette
I tried 3 or 4 other madeleine recipes before stumbling across this one. Amazing recipe!! I loved how simple it was (no ribboning or resting), and they turned out much better than all the other batches I had tried in search of the ultimate recipe.
I wanted hazelnut flavor so I reduced the amount of vanilla extract, added hazelnut extract, as well as finely chopped hazelnuts, and it still turned out great. I also have an oven that runs hot so I reduced the temp to 350 and turned off the oven after 9 minutes to let them bake a couple minutes more. Wonderful color (just lightly golden brown), and amazing texture with the right amount of “sponginess”. I love I can get these baked super quick without all the rest time. This is my go to recipe from now on.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Jamie! I was so happy when I got this to work and be so easy so it’s great to hear you liked them too. 🙂
Cathy Morrison
Getting ready to make these. Any adjustments needed for high altitude baking?
Sam
Hi Cathy! I’m not very familiar with high altitude baking so unfortunately I can’t provide any tips or adjustments. 🙁
Drew
I made these for my mother’s Birthday… never made before, so I did a trial run… “large eggs” confuse me… what is a large egg? I followed the recipe… the video is great! My batter was not as viscous as yours… so I added another egg to make more viscous… the final batch cooked better, less brown edges, fully cooked in the middle. And presentation was beautiful! Thank you! But if your batter is not runny… add an egg.
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Drew! When I get my eggs at the store they are labeled large eggs (vs. extra large, jumbo, or even medium). 🙂
Connie
I see “video” mentioned multiple times, yet I find no video with this recipe.
Sam
Hi Connie! The video is showing for me, it is in the recipe card right above the ingredients. If you have ad blockers enabled it is possible that it won’t show for you for that reason and you would most likely need to disable them to be able to see it. If you still can’t see it, all of my videos are also available on my YouTube channel. I hope that helps, and I hope you love the madeleines!
Soumya
Those came out very nice .. just that it became a bit dark golden .. May be I’ll try 8 min next time. It tastes yum 😋
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Daniel Addady
Mine also came out a deep golden color. The iconic Madeleine hump was a bit raw coming out the oven too, though it seems they continued cooking while on the cooling rack.
I’m using an electric stove, are you? Maybe our ovens run a bit too hot?
Pam
I always buy these from Starbucks and thought I should just try to make them. I found your recipe and will never be purchasing store bought again!!! Your recipe is delicious, super easy and way better than anything store bought. We enjoy them with tea or coffee. A wonderful treat. I just shared it with a friend:)
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Pam! Homemade is always better if you ask me. 🙂
Elena
I have made this recipe three times and each time they have been perfect. Thanks so much for your video and your easy to follow recipe. I decided to try making a Keto version yesterday and they turned out great. The texture is a little more crumbly and dense due to the almond flour but the carbs were reduced to 0.8 gms each. Wow! Delicious. Thank you!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy them so much, Elena! 🙂