Name: Classic French Madeleines
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: ½ cup (120g) unsalted butter*; 1 cup + 3 Tbsp (140g) all-purpose flour, sifted; 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder; 3 large eggs; ¾ cup (150g) sugar; ¼ cup (25g) almond meal; 1 Tablespoon sunflower oil; ¼ cup (50g) whole milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon salt

Classic French Madeleines

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Author: Delphine Fortin
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 20 madeleines 1x
Category: Snacks
Cuisine: French

These classic French madeleines just hit the spot. Rich and buttery, these adorable little shell-shape cookie cakes have a characteristic little bump on top.

Ingredients

Scale

For best results, I recommend you stick to the metric measurements in grams.

½ cup (120g) unsalted butter*
1 cup + 3 Tbsp (140g) all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
3 large eggs
¾ cup (150g) sugar
¼ cup (25g) almond meal
1 Tablespoon sunflower oil
¼ cup (50g) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

Melt the butter in a small saucepan placed on medium heat, until brown in color and lightly foamy on top. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In a small bowl, mix together sifted flour and baking powder.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk in the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vegetable oil, almond meal, and whisk until combined.
Slowly pour the cooled melted brown butter, while whisking constantly, then pour in the milk, vanilla and salt. Add the dry ingredients, and whisk until combined. Place in the refrigerator for minimum 2 hours, ideally overnight (the longer the batter chills in the refrigerator the better).
Preheat the oven to 430°F (220°C). Spoon the batter into the center of each mold**, and bake for 10 minutes, until well-risen and golden in color. Cool madeleines in the pan for a minute or two, then gently loosen them from the molds, and let cool completely.

Notes

* Note on the butter. I recommend the use of unsalted butter and add some salt to the batter. If using salted butter, remember to decrease the amount of salt by half. In any case, do not skip the salt entirely in this recipe, as it brings some subtle flavors and cut the sweetness to the madeleines.

** If using a silicone madeleine mold, no need to dust the cavities beforehand. If however you use a nonstick metallic madeleine pan, I recommend to brush the molds with melted butter, then slightly dust with flour, before adding the batter.