Lemon Madeleines

Ever had the perfect bite of a cookie/cake? These Lemon Madeleines are just the thing – fluffy like cake, but still with a bit of texture around the edges. Plus, they can be flavored with whatever citrus you have on hand! 

Having summer housemates means many things, but the best part is that they become my guinea pigs for desserts since the husband doesn’t eat any sweets! One of my housemates this summer is Paige Lenhoff, a professional baker by trade who works as Front of the House Management at our workplace.

Of course, I took this into advantage and handed Paige the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, asking her to bake something for the blog. These Madeleines were the chosen recipe and she executed them perfectly! They are fluffy yet have a lovely crisp edge around them, and the lemon flavor imparted from the Honey Ridge Farm Honey Creme Lemon was just delicate enough to grace these cookies with a touch of citrus in every bite.

You’ll need a madeleine pan for these and I’m not one to buy extra pans and tools because our kitchen space is extremely limited, but this pan is well worth it. I’m even thinking of purchasing a second one so I can double this recipe and invite friends over for a coffee date! Give this recipe a try and I promise you won’t be disappointed – it’s like biting into a cloud of sweetness.

Lemon Madeleines

Classic French recipe, these lemon madeleines are tender but yet hold some texture around the edges. The recipe might sound complicated, but it's pretty simple. Just make sure to think ahead - you need to refrigerate this batter overnight before baking!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• ¼ cup plus 3 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon eggs
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 2.3 ounces unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons dark brown muscovado sugar
• 2 teaspoons honey I used a lemon honey

Instructions

• Whisk the flour, baking power, and salt together.
• Using a double boiler and in your mixer bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until lightly warm to the touch and sugar is dissolved.
• Remove from double boiler and whisk for four minutes on medium high until light and fluffy.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter, brown sugar, and honey.
• Remove bowl from mixer and fold in the dry ingredients well.
• Drizzle in butter mixture and mix until smooth.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• To bake: preheat oven to 350F. Butter madeleine pan and place in freezer so butter hardens. Pipe or place one tablespoon of batter into molds.
• Bake for 10 minutes or so, until golden brown.
• Unmold immediately - these are best the day of but can keep for an extra day (they are perfect for dipping in your morning coffee!)

Notes

This recipe is SLIGHTLY adapted from the master himself, Thomas Keller and his amazing pastry chef Sebastien Rouxel. The recipe comes from the Bouchon Bakery cookbook, which I suggest you purchase if you love exact recipes that turn out amazingly!

Servings: 12 madeleines