These brown butter madeleines are a simple, delicate treat for any occasion from breakfast to afternoon tea! They're surprisingly easy to make, you just need the right tools and technique!
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What are Madeleines?
Madeleines are small, bite-sized French sponge cakes that are typically shaped like sea shells! They have a light, buttery texture with crispy edges and that signature hump on the back. They're delicious plain with a dusting of powdered sugar, or dunked in melted chocolate or a citrusy glaze! Fresh madeleines are best served with your morning coffee or tea, or as a light afternoon dessert!
Madeleines can have a reputation of being tricky but they only require basic ingredients and are pretty simple to make, they just require a little bit of technique.
You might also like these chai spice madeleines or these chocolate hazelnut madeleines!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make homemade brown butter madeleines!
Flour - I always use cake flour in my madeleines because it makes them super soft and tender, but all purpose flour also works great!
Eggs - Whipping the eggs together with the sugar is what gives madeleines their classic texture and signature hump. Make sure your eggs are room temperature before baking for the best results! Unfortunately, there is no substitute for using eggs in this recipe.
Almond Extract - This is optional, but I think almond extract pairs beautifully with brown butter!
Brown Butter - My favorite ingredient of all time is brown butter!! Brown butter is just unsalted butter that has been melted and gently cooked to bring out a toasty, nutty flavor. If you've never made brown butter before, you can check out this post with all my tips for how to make brown butter! You want the brown butter in these madeleines to be liquid, but not too hot. So be sure to let it cool for at least 30 minutes or so before making the batter.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Special Equipment
Hand Mixer - You need either a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment to properly aerate the batter! Beating the eggs and sugar together for 8-10 minutes adds a ton of air to the batter and gives madeleines that classic hump!
Pastry Brush - Even though you want to use a nonstick madeleine pan for the best results, you still want to also use a pastry brush to brush the wells with a little extra melted butter.
Cookie Scoop - This is optional, but I like using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the madeleine batter.
Madeleine Pan - For the best results use a nonstick madeleine pan! I love a classic shell madeleine pan, but there's tons of fun variations you can use for different occasions (like hearts or pumpkins). Note: If using a larger scallop madeleine pan, you'll need at least 2 tablespoons per well instead!
How to Make Madeleines
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 and almond extract and beat until combined.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
Then gently fold the melted 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 a minimum of 2 hours up to 24 hours. [I like the prep the batter in the afternoon, let it chill overnight, then bake the next day.]
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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.
If desired, lightly dust the cooled brown butter madeleines with powdered sugar!
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Recipe FAQ's
Madeleines are best eaten the same day (even better when they're still warm). However, they will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Madeleines are prone to drying out, so after the first day I recommend dunking in tea or coffee!
Chilling the madeleine batter is what helps them form that classic hump on the back when baking!
While they may look like small cookies, the texture of madeleines is more similar to that of a sponge cake.
If you're having trouble getting your madeleines to rise properly, there's a few things you can troubleshoot!
1. Make sure your baking powder is fresh! If it's not, your madeleines won't rise properly.
2. Make sure you beat the eggs and sugar together for the full time. This incorporates air into the batter which helps the batter rise.
3. If you're only chilling the batter for a couple hours, try chilling for 24 hours before baking.
4. While the oven is preheating, chill the madeleine pan in the fridge for 30 minutes.
But even if your madeleines don't get the hump on the back, I promise they'll still be delicious!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Madeleine Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Brown Butter Madeleines
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup cake flour, substitute all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted brown butter, melted and cooled
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- 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 and almond extract and beat until combined.
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture.
- Then gently fold the melted 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 a minimum of 2 hours up to 24 hours. [I like the prep the batter in the afternoon, let it chill overnight, then bake the next day.]
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- 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.
- If desired, lightly dust the cooled brown butter madeleines with powdered sugar!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Rachel Arias says
So easy to make! I love how detailed the instructions are. My husband loves these! They are so delicious and soft! He can’t get enough! Thank you!