Madeleines owe some of their popularity to French author Marcel Proust, but it's cookbook author Dorie Greenspan who has helped make them more well-known in the U.S. The delicate cookies have a distinct shape made by the special madeleine pan used to bake them in. They’re shell-like on the underside and flat on the top.
Greenspan’s recipe includes a small amount of baking powder, a non-traditional touch she includes because it helps the cake-like cookies to rise slightly. She mixes them by hand and combines the lemon zest with the sugar to make her madeleines extra lemony.
Ingredients
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⅔ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for molds
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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¼ teaspoon fleur de sel or pinch of fine sea salt
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⅓ cup sugar
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Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
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2 large eggs, room temperature
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1 tablespoon honey
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1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
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½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and warm, plus unmelted for molds
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2 tablespoons whole milk
Directions
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Combine dry ingredients:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
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Mix sugar and lemon zest:
Place sugar and lemon zest a bowl. Using your fingertips, rub sugar and lemon zest together until sugar is moist and fragrant.
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Add eggs, then honey and vanilla:
Add eggs and whisk until mixture is pale and thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in honey and vanilla.
If you prefer, this mixing can be done in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
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Add dry ingredients, then melted butter, then milk:
Gently fold in flour mixture in three additions; fold in melted butter until fully incorporated. Stir in milk. Batter should be smooth and shiny.
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Cover and chill:
Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the batter; transfer to refrigerator and let chill at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
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Prepare madeleine pan; divide batter between madeleine cups; refrigerate:
Butter and flour a large madeleine pan. Spoon batter into madeleine pan; transfer to refrigerator for 1 hour.
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Preheat oven; bake madeleines:
Place a heavy, large baking sheet in oven; preheat oven to 400°F. Place madeleine pan on preheated baking sheet. Bake until golden and big bumps on top spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes.
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Remove from pan and cool:
Remove pan from oven and immediately release madeleines from pan by rapping pan on counter. Let cool on a wire rack.
If any madeleines stick to the pan, use a butter knife or fingers to help release them.