One of my favorite fun desserts are classic French Madeleines! If you don’t know, madeleines are a cute little French dessert that look like cookies but are actually more similar to a small cake. I recently posted these dark chocolate hazelnut madeleines and now I'm back with these delightful brown butter bourbon madeleines!
Madeleine Tips & Tricks
Browning the butter is optional....but not really! You know I put brown butter in EVERYTHING and it goes so well with the bourbon in these madeleines!
Make the brown butter: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir frequently and watch closely for the formation of brown specs on the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma. Once you see brown specs, stir for just a few more seconds (it browns super quickly). Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a different bowl to prevent it from burning. Let the butter cool slightly (5-10 minutes) before using.
I also use my homemade bourbon vanilla extract in these madeleines and it's so good! But if you're feeling lazy, Trader Joe's also has a delicious bourbon vanilla!
Chilling the batter is a super important part of this recipe! Letting the batter chill helps the madeleines rise properly in the oven (however if it chills too long the butter will solidify and then they won’t rise enough). I find that 45 minutes is the perfect amount of chill time, but you definitely want to stay within the 30-60 minute window.
Sadly you can’t make madeleines without a madeleine pan. But if you’re like me and love collecting kitchen gear, I highly recommend my USA Pan Madeleine pan*! It’s nonstick and works great! Even though it’s nonstick I still like to brush the wells with melted butter before baking! It helps the madeleines slide right out and get nice and crisp on the top.
Madeleines are known for their classic humped back! If you’ve ever watched The Great British Baking Show, you know what’s up.
If you make these brown butter bourbon madeleines, please leave us a star rating at the bottom of the page! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. Happy baking!
Ingredients
Brown Butter Madeleines
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 1 cup cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
- ¼ cup almond flour, pecan flour/meal if you can find it
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, browned
- ¼ cup chopped pecans for topping
Bourbon Glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon bourbon
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1-2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
Brown Butter Madeleines
- Make the brown butter: In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir frequently and watch closely for the formation of brown specs on the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma. Once you see brown specs, stir for just a few more seconds (it browns super quickly). Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a different bowl to prevent it from burning. Let the butter cool slightly (5-10 minutes) before using.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together on high speed for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture is thick, very pale, and forms ribbons when you lift the beaters. Add in the vanilla extract and bourbon and beat until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Then gently fold the brown butter into the batter. It will take a minute or two to fully incorporate, so just keep gently mixing it together until fully combined. The batter should be thick and shinny.
- Cover the bowl and let the batter chill in the fridge for 45 minutes.
- During the last few minutes of chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly brush your madeleine pan with 1-2 tablespoons of melted butter, then scoop a generous tablespoon of batter into the center of each well.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the madeleines are lightly browned.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
- Whisk together all of the glaze ingredients until fully combined and smooth. You may need to add an extra 1-2 teaspoons of milk or cream to reach your desired consistency.
- Dip cooled madeleines in the glaze and top with chopped pecans.
Notes
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I used this recipe as a base for my maple pecan madeleines. They were pretty good in term of fluffiness. Thanks for the recipe.