Easy Morning Madeleines

Sunday mornings are one of my favorite times of the week. I sleep a little later and stay in bed a little longer until my coffee craving kicks in. This week, I wanted something a little sweet to pair with my morning cup of coffee, so I decided to finally break in my Madeleine pans that have been sitting in my pantry for over a year. 

Although their art-deco shell shape suggests they’re complicated to make, Madeleines are really easy...like a Sunday morning. All you need is some staple ingredients and the fancy pan. This recipe is slightly adapted from Deb Pearlman’s Smitten Kitchen Blog, who adapted her recipe from Dorie Greenspan. Needless to say, these Madeleines have pretty good provenance. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

¾ Cup All Purpose Flour

½ Teaspoon Baking Powder

2 Eggs (room temperature)

½ Cup Granulated Sugar

The Zest of One Lemon (you could also use an orange)

1 ½ Teaspoons Vanilla

½ Teaspoon Almond Extract

5 Tablespoons of Butter (melted and cooled)

A little more Butter and Flour for your Madeleine pan, if it isn’t non-stick

Here’s how to make them:

Step 1: I’m not one for sifting, but in recipes like this, it’s an important step. Sift your Flour and Baking Powder together in a mixing bowl and set them aside for a few minutes. Also, melt your butter and set it aside to cool. Oh! Also preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2: In your KitchenAid or a different mixing bowl, beat your eggs and sugar together until they’re a light yellow color. Then add 1 ½ Teaspoons of Vanilla and ½ Teaspoon of Almond Extract. If you don’t like (or have) Almond Extract, just use two Teaspoons of Vanilla.

Step 3: While your eggs and sugar are mixing, zest a lemon. Then add your Lemon Zest to the Egg mixture.

Step 4: Now it’s time to fold your ingredients together. I can’t think of folding ingredients together anymore without laughing thanks to this notorious scene from Shitt’s Creek. But yeah...just fold your Egg mixture into the Flour, then fold in the Butter.

Step 5: Cover your batter with plastic wrap, pushing it onto the actual batter so it doesn’t form a film. Then keep it cool in the fridge for a few hours. I left mine in overnight. You can also make your batter a few days in advance, if you like.

Step 6: In the morning, prepare your Madeleine pan. I have a non-stick one, but these little cakes are known to stick regardless, so I buttered mine up before baking. 

Step 7: Using a piping bag, pipe your batter into the pans. Don’t overfill them.

Step 8: Bake your Madeleines for about 10 minutes. I had mine in for nine minutes and they got a little over baked. Just keep your eye on them. When you think they’re ready, use a toothpick to poke them. If they’re baked, it will come out clean. You’ll want them to appear with a little hump.

Step 9: Make some coffee (or a different beverage of your choice) and put your little cakes on a plate.

Step 10: Head back to bed and enjoy!