Madeleines a Classic French Recipe that are Easy to Make
Cakes & Cookies · Dessert · Paula Kane · Provencal Recipes · TasteMany people shy away from French cooking and desserts because they seem to complicated. However, the reality is many recipes are quick and easy to make including these classic madeleines. Baked off fresh right before serving is best and easy to do. This recipe is courtesy of Daniel Boulud, but I added a little vanilla. I love vanilla… and I think it makes it just that much tastier. I found this recipe made 22-24 regular size madeleines.
Madeleines
These little sweet treats are not quite cookies and not quite cakes. Easy to make and hard to keep in stock.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp lemon zest or orange zest, finely grated
- 1 tsp vanilla paste (if you have. If not, any good quality vanilla)
- 6 tbsp (¾ stick) unsalted butter melted and warm
- non-stick vegetable oil spray or softened butter
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Whisk baking powder, salt and flour in a small bowl.
- Whisk eggs, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, honey and lemon zest in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Whisk in dry ingredients until just incorporated, then whisk in melted butter until smooth.
- Transfer batter to a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag and chill at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Lightly coat madeleine pans with nonstick vegetable oil spray (or soft butter) and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
- Snip end off pastry bag (or 1 corner of resealable bag) and pipe batter into each mold, filling two-thirds full.
- Bake madeleines until edges are golden brown and centers are puffed and lightly spring back when gently pressed, about 5 minutes for mini and 8−10 minutes for regular cakes.
- Tap pan against counter to release madeleines.
- Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm.
Notes
Special Equipment: Three 20-cake mini madeleine pans or two 12-cake regular madeleine pans* Vanilla paste is essentially a small jar of scraped-out vanilla pod, so you get the benefit and potency of fresh vanilla with a pretty speckled end product.Batter can be made 1 day ahead and kept chilled until you are ready to bake.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Full day Wine Tasting Tour from Marseille: Châteauneuf du Pape, Gigondas & Séguret
Experience a full day of wine tasting and cultural exploration on this enchanting wine tour. Discover the rich history, stunning landscapes, and world-class wines of the Southern Rhone Valley as you visit the picturesque towns of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, and Séguret.
Book this ExperienceLegal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Related Provence Articles
Individual French-Style Apple Tarts
October 2, 2019
The smell of apple tarts baking in your kitchen is a temptation enough, but these individual pastries in the pretty flower pattern... Well, it takes a lot of willpower to resist. …
French Desserts Make Plum Clafoutis
September 9, 2020
During a Provence Gourmet cooking class, we made a plum clafoutis a classic French dessert from the region. The traditional recipe for clafoutis, a flan-type dessert is made with cherries.…
Make Lavender and Honey Ice Cream this Summer
July 14, 2025
Who doesn’t love ice cream on a hot summer day? This recipe combines culinary lavender and honey into a delicious ice cream that will “transport” you to Provence with every bite. Thank you to ElsaLenthal.com for allowing us to republish this recipe. Artisan Creations with Lavender Elsa Lenthal started Fuseaux de Lavande de Provence in …
Chocolate and Raspberry Towers for Dessert
December 21, 2020
This dessert recipe for Chocolate and Raspberry Towers was part of a 3-course gluten-free online class that I presented in September. The rest of the menu included panisse (chickpea fritters) served with fresh lemon, skewered grilled shrimp, roasted fennel and cherry tomatoes. In addition to recipes, I share plating techniques that I learned in a …
No Comment