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Foolproof Vanilla Madeleine Recipe

With this Foolproof Vanilla Madeleines recipe I’ll share how to make perfect madeleines every time! Included are all my favorite tips and tricks (including how to get that signature bump), plus flavor and glaze options. This dough can sit in the fridge for several days letting you make these little cakes on demand – how fabulous is that?!?
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Overnight Rest: 12 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Cookies
Keyword: Madeleines, Cookies, Orange, Vanilla, Dessert
Servings: 24 Cookies
Author: Rebecca Firth

Ingredients

For the Madeleine Cookies

  • 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter, really softened and cut into 8 pieces
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 2⁄3 cup (128 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (9 g) orange zest
  • ½ vanilla bean, split and scraped ( or 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract)
  • 1 tablespoon (15 g) whole milk (room temperature)
  • 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (101 g) all-purpose flour (how to measure flour)
  • 1 tablespoon (9 g) cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

For the Cranberry Glaze

  • 1 1/4 cups (150 g) confectioners' sugar (sifted)
  • 1 tablespoon (15 g) unsweetened cranberry juice

To Garnish

  • Demerara sugar (optional)
  • Gel Food Coloring (optional)
  • See notes in blog post regarding Demerara Sprinkles

Instructions

For the Madeleines

  • To make the cookies, grease two 3 1⁄4 x 1 1⁄2–inch (8.3 x 3.7–cm) nonstick madeleine mold pan and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. If your room temperature butter isn’t soft enough to easily smear on a plate, then give it 10 seconds on high in the microwave to give it the correct consistency. Set aside.
  • In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs and sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until pale yellow and thick. Add in the milk, orange zest and vanilla and run the machine on low for 1 minute more.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients and softened butter to the egg mixture and run the mixer on low for about 40 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well blended.  The mixture will be smooth and creamy with some small butter bits visible. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for at least several hours or ideally overnight.
  • Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
  • Add 1 tablespoon of batter to each madeleine well. Place the batter in the deep end of each well, not the middle. Do not smooth or flatten.
  • Bake one tin at a time in the center rack of the oven for 10 minutes. When done, the madeleines will be golden brown around the edges and puffed up in the middle. Let the cookies cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a rack. Place some parchment underneath the wire rack.

For the Glaze

  • To make the glaze, in a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cranberry juice. Dip each madeleine in the glaze, letting the excess glaze fall back into the bowl, and then place the cookie back on the rack for the glaze to set. If using the demerara sprinkles, sprinkle some over the glaze. Enjoy asap!! xo

Notes

Important Note

Do not skip resting the dough nor chilling the madeleine tin.

Mixer vs Your Arms

I mention a mixer in the instruction, however, this is definitely a recipe that can easily be made with an electric hand mixer, stand mixer or a large bowl and spatula. Make sure you really cream your butter and sugar so that you get that awesome madeleine cake-like texture.

Demerara Sugar

This sugar adds texture (and natural sprinkles!) to the finished cookie. If you don’t have any on hand, simply omit it from the recipe. 

Chilling Your Madeleine Dough

I usually transfer the cookie dough to an airtight container. If there is lots of space between the dough and the top of the lid, than I will press some plastic wrap over the top of the dough to keep it from drying out.

Leftover Madeleines

Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. As note above, I think these are best the day they are made. And since the dough benefits from overnight fridge time, this helps to make them fresh as needed (and they are a need).
*If* you really want to make them ahead of time, I recommend glazes. They're fabulous as noted in the Glaze section above the recipe.

Want More Cookie Tips?

Head over to My 10 Favorite Tips for Better Cookies!
Thanks for baking with me! Please rate + comment this recipe and tag me on social @displacedhousewife #displacedhousewife so I can see your beautiful treats! xo