Madeleines are one of my favorite little treats and they're pretty easy to make! These espresso madeleines are dunked in dark chocolate and finished with some flaky sea salt!
madeleine tips & tricks
Madeleines are known for their classic humped back! If you’ve ever watched The Great British Baking Show, you know what’s up. One of the most important steps to getting the hump is beating the eggs long enough. You want to beat the eggs and sugar together for at least 8 minutes (put a timer on because it feels like forever). After 8-10 minutes the mixture will be very pale and thick.
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.
These chocolate espresso madeleines are best eaten the same day but will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Ingredient Notes
- Espresso Powder - Since these madeleines are espresso flavored, you want to use good espresso powder! My favorite is from King Arthur Baking!
- Dark Chocolate - I always use chocolate baking bars when baking because the melt much more smoothly than chocolate chips (which contain emulsifiers). If you're interested in reading my diatribe on dark chocolate bars....this hot chocolate post is for you.
- Sea Salt - This is optional but I love adding it on top of the chocolate! Maldon sea salt is my all time favorite! It has huge beautiful flakes that are perfect for sprinkling!
More Madeleine Recipes
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Chocolate Espresso Madeleines
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cake flour , (substitute all purpose flour)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 4 ounces dark chocolate, melted
- flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside to slightly cool.
- 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 beat until combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a spatula, gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Then gently fold the melted 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°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.
- Dip the cooled madeleines in melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Eat with coffee and enjoy!
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.
Susan C. says
Made these madeleines for the first time - quite tasty - after cooled I drizzled warm espresso over them before dipping in belgium dark chocolate and sprinkled with himalayan crystal salt.
My family loved that extra added espresso before the dark chocolate and crystal salt.
They have now been added to the Christmas baking yearly list.
Thanks again.
Myranda Marsh says
Easy to make. Absolutely delicious. Perfect hump and shell marks. Don’t forget the salt because it brightens the flavor. I baked them at 5300 ft and they held up which doesn’t always happen when you bake at altitude.