French Madeleines

Hello! Welcome to my baking blog! I'm so happy you are here :)

Today, I will be sharing one of my favorite recipes with you, French Madeleines.

The exact history of the Madeleine is unclear, but that has not affected its immense popularity, in its native country of France and around the world. Even Marcel Proust, a noted literary figure from France in the 1900s, was so captivated by these cakey cookies, that he mentioned them in his seven part novel À la recherche du temps perdu, or In Search of Lost Time, in English.

While the recipe is simple, these cookies will impress friends and family with their delicate flavor and beautiful shell-like appearance.

Unlike most cookies, you will need special equipment for madeleines, namely a madeleine pan. I own this specific pan, but I imagine, if that is not readily available, that any madeleine pan for sale out there will produce the same results. Aside from the pan, you need no specialty equipment. The scalloped cavities do all the legwork for you, leaving delicious, beautiful cookies for you to enjoy.

Onto the recipe!

French Madeleines
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And that's it! Seriously, these cookies practically make themselves, but the end result looks professional and beautiful. I hope you enjoyed learning about Madeleines and feel free to experiment when you bake your own batch! Let me know how it goes in the comments!

​Happy baking :)

This was a batch of Lemon Poppy Seed madeleines I made. The color difference comes from the pan. The darker shade is from the cookie coming into contact with the scalloped pan. The light shade is just the reverse! Madeleines do puff up quite a bit during the baking process, so don't be alarmed when they look huge in the oven. That's them getting light and fluffy!