Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes Vanilla Madeleines 3.8 (166) 3 Reviews Use our madeleine recipe to make the classic French tea cakes, then try our eight delicious variations. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 25, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 20 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins Yield: Makes 32 (or 160 mini) Madeleines are French tea cakes. They’re baked in a special madeleine pan that produces dainty treats with a scalloped, sea-shell-like side and a humped side. While they might seem fancy, madeleines are made with regular pantry ingredients like butter, flour, eggs, baking powder, and vanilla. They aren’t difficult but you do need to be precise and patient. Our recipe makes a classic vanilla-scented madeleine with a touch of honey that helps keep it moist and adds a delicate perfume. We've also included eight variations so you can enjoy different takes on the madeleine, from chocolate to maple to peanut butter. 8 of Martha's All-Time Best Baking Tips, According to Our Readers Marths Stewart 6 Tips to Ensure Madeleine Success A madeleine batter is based on that of a genoise, a light and buttery European-style cake. These tips will ensure a tender result. Use Room-Temperature Eggs: We often tell you that using room-temperature ingredients is important for getting the best baked goods and we’re repeating it here. Using room-temperature eggs will really make a difference to the madeleines. Room-temperature eggs will triple in volume when beaten; cold eggs don’t. If you forget to take the eggs out of the refrigerator, submerge them in warm water for 10 minutes, then proceed.Don’t Skip the Sift: Use a sieve to sift the flour, baking powder, and salt onto the batter, aerating the mixture to prevent lumps.Prepping the Madeleine Pan: Before adding the batter, always use a pastry brush to get softened butter into every crevice of the scallop shells. It will prevent sticking and help achieve a golden crust.Filling the Madeleine Molds: A pastry bag will make the quickest, neatest work of filling the prepared molds three-quarters full. Two spoons will also work. Do not overfill; if you do, it will spill over the sides of the mold and create an unwanted crips edge, and it will lessen the amount of hump.Achieving the Hump: Chill the batter and chill the madeleine pan if you want a good hump—then bake in a preheated hot oven.Quick Release: Turn the pan of baked madeleines upside down and shake it, and the petite cakes will pop right out. A small offset spatula or paring knife will help along any that resist. Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder Coarse salt 6 large eggs, room temperature 1 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted, plus more, softened, for pans 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract Confectioners' sugar, for dusting Directions Combine dry ingredients: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Cream eggs and sugars: Whisk together eggs and granulated and brown sugars with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 10 minutes. madeleine-00-0911mld107573_vert-7e0a46e167a6433bb1397f7a95317517.jpg After about 10 minutes of beating, the eggs and sugar will be pale and fluffy-smooth. Watch for the "ribbon" stage. When the beater is raised, a thick ribbon will slowly fall back into the bowl. Tara Donne Sift dry ingredients into eggs and sugar, in two additions: Sift flour mixture over top in 2 additions, folding in after each addition. Tara Donne Don't stir (which will deflate the batter). Instead, plunge a rubber spatula into the bowl's center. Cut through to the edge, lift, and turn batter over the flour. Give the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat until flour is incorporated. Tara Donne Add melted butter, then honey and vanilla; refrigerate: Fold in melted butter in 2 additions, then honey and vanilla. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours. Tara Donne Preheat oven; remove batter from fridge and prep pans: Preheat oven to 350°F. Let batter stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Generously butter 2 standard-size or 2 mini nonstick or aluminum madeleine pans using a pastry brush. Tara Donne Pipe batter into molds: Transfer batter to a pastry bag, and snip tip to create a 1/2-inch opening. Pipe some batter into molds, filling each about three-quarters full. Tara Donne Bake: Bake on middle rack until pale gold, 8 to 11 minutes (6 to 8 minutes for mini madeleines). Immediately shake madeleines out. Wash and rebutter molds. Repeat with remaining batter. Dust baked madeleines with confectioners' sugar. Tara Donne If using a nonstick pan, which heats up faster than a traditional one, go by the shorter baking time. Storing Madeleines Madeleine batter can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.Madeleines are best enjoyed the day they are made. They become dry over time. If you have any leftovers, dunk them in coffee or tea as you eat them. Variations Tara Donne We'll always love the classic, but we couldn't resist experimenting with a range of flavors. Chocolate Add 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder to flour mixture. Fold 8 ounces melted bittersweet chocolate into batter before baking. Dust baked madeleines with cocoa powder. Olive Oil and Sea Salt Use only 1 1/2 sticks butter; add 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil to melted butter. Sprinkle a very small pinch of sea salt into buttered madeleine molds before piping in batter. Maple Omit honey. Reduce 1/2 cup pure maple syrup by half over medium-low heat, about 15 minutes; add to melted butter. For maple glaze, whisk together 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, and 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar. Let cool for at least 1 hour. Brush onto scalloped side of baked madeleines. (Makes enough for 1 batch.) Jasmine Green Tea Grind 1/4 cup best-quality jasmine green tea in a spice grinder until powdery; add to flour mixture. Black and White Transfer half the batter to a bowl. Stir 4 ounces melted bittersweet chocolate and 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder into half the batter. Pipe chocolate batter into one half of each mold, then pipe vanilla batter into remaining half of mold. Spice Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger to flour mixture. For cream cheese glaze, stir together 6 ounces room-temperature cream cheese and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk. Dip scalloped side of each baked madeleine into glaze, and wipe excess off sides. Grate cinnamon sticks over glaze, dusting tops. (Makes enough for 1 batch.) Peanut Butter Use only 1 1/2 sticks butter, and add 1/4 cup natural peanut butter when melting butter. Sprinkle madeleines with 1/2 cup chopped peanuts before baking. Cut baked madeleines in half lengthwise through center, and sandwich each with strawberry jam. Lemon Reduce 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice by half over medium heat, about 15 minutes; add to batter with 1/4 cup finely grated lemon zest (from 4 lemons) before adding flour mixture. For lemon glaze, whisk together 2 cups confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemons). Dip scalloped side of each baked madeleine into glaze, and wipe excess off sides. (Makes enough for 1 batch.) Frequently Asked Questions What can I use instead of a madeleine pan? Instead of a madeleine pan, you can use a mini muffin pan, min tart pan or mold, mini popover pan, or mini scone pan if you have one. Each may not have the same capacity as the madeleine molds, so you may be able to make more (smaller) madeleines when you use these alternative pans. What is the difference between financiers and madeleines? The difference between financiers and madeleines is simple. Both are individual French cakes, but financiers are richer, and madeleines have a drier cake texture. Financiers contain ground nuts, usually almonds, and have a higher butter content, whilst madeleines can be flavored in many different ways, from orange to green tea to chocolate. Also, financiers are leavened by egg whites while madeleines also use baking powder. How do you eat madeleines? The best way to eat madeleines is while they are still fresh, preferably warm from the oven. They should be presented with their scallop side up, hump side down. They make a great goûter as the French call an afternoon snack. Other French Dessert Recipes to Try: French Macarons Papillons (French Butterfly Cookies) French Meringue Cookies Chocolate Charlotte French Fruit Tart Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, September 2011 Rate It PRINT Updated by Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years.