Are they cookies? Are they tiny cakes? (I’m having flashbacks of Fig Newton commercials now.) I think of madeleines as cake-like cookies: pillow-y with a beautiful crumb, delicate but sturdy enough for a glaze or a dip in melted chocolate.
I love everything about them from the taste, to the shape, to the texture, to the spelling of the name. Does Madeleine remind anyone of a little French girl who lived in a house in Paris covered in vines?
Madeleines are a bit fussy to make, but not difficult at all. The fussiness comes from needing a special pan and browning the butter for the batter. That pan gives madeleines their signature scalloped shape, and the brown butter adds more flavor than just melted butter.
Speaking of brown butter, I tend to call mine “golden butter.” I don’t like it to get too, too dark, but it still has that nutty, rich flavor.
As for the flavor of the madeleines, the sky’s the limit. More traditional madeleines are vanilla or citrus flavored. My favorite is a vanilla-almond one.
You’ll find them frequently dusted with powdered sugar, but don’t be afraid to add a thin glaze. Just don’t cover up those gorgeous scallops!
While the butter is cooling, you’ll whisk the dry ingredients together.
The eggs get beaten with the butter for several minutes until they’re light in color and thickened.
The butter and flour mixture get gently folded in, and then the batter rests in the refrigerator for a bit. Because of the gentle folding so as not to lose the airiness, the rest in the fridge is a good chance for the flour to absorb the liquid. Madeleines are known for having a “bump,” and the refrigeration helps to achieve that as well.
A bit about the bump: if your madeleines don’t have them, don’t worry! They taste EXACTLY the same. The texture is exactly the same.
Plus, the bump is on what is the back of the cookie. What’s really important is that scallop on the front.
Before bringing the batter out of the fridge, prepare your pan. Just like with a Bundt pan, greasing every little millimeter of it is important. I also flour the pan after I’ve buttered it.
See how the batter has thickened and poofed a little in the fridge? Don’t stir it. Just start scooping.
Dollop a heaping tablespoon of chilled batter into each prepared cavity. No need to spread the batter; it’ll spread perfectly in the oven.
Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar.
Dipping them in chocolate is always a good option in my book!
Melt chocolate and dip half of each cookie. Place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet to set in the refrigerator.
Madeleines may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days.
The recipe for vanilla-almond madeleines follows, but here are a few variations:
Lemon: Reduce vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Omit almond extract. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and the zest of one lemon with the vanilla.
Orange Liqueur-Glazed: Reduce vanilla to 1 teaspoon. Omit almond extract. Add 1 tablespoon orange juice and the zest of one orange with the vanilla. Make glaze: whisk 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons milk and 2 tablespoons Cointreau. Pour glaze over cooled cookies.
Vanilla Bean: Replace vanilla extract with vanilla bean paste. Omit almond extract. Make glaze: whisk 1 cup powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste. Pour glaze over the cooled cookies.
Where do you stand on the great madeleine debate? Do you consider them cookies or cake?
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