Madeleines (the Best, Easiest Recipe, with Video!)

Learn how to make Madeleines like a pro! This foolproof recipe requires no fancy technique and no resting period, but makes flawless cookies (/butter cakes!) every time! Includes a how-to video!

Prep time: PT15M

Cook time: PT9M

Total time: PT24M

Rating

4.88 stars (424 reviews)

Keywords

madeleine recipe, Madeleines

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into pieces)
2 large eggs (room temperature)
½ cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons light brown sugar (firmly packed)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons lemon or orange zest (optional)

Cuisine

French

Steps

Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and whisk together 1 Tablespoon melted butter and 1 ½ teaspoons flour. Use a pastry brush to lightly but thoroughly grease every cavity of your madeleine pan. Set aside.
In a small heatproof bowl, melt remaining 10 Tablespoons of butter. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugars, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk vigorously until thoroughly combined (about 30 seconds).
Sift flour into the egg mixture, about ⅓ of the flour at a time, gently stirring into egg mixture after each addition.
Drizzle cooled melted butter around the edge of the batter and add zest, if using. Gently fold into batter using a spatula until ingredients are thoroughly combined (but do not over-mix).
Drop batter by heaping Tablespoon into prepared pan.
Transfer to center rack of 375F (190C) preheated oven and bake for 9 minutes or madeleines are light golden brown and spring back when lightly touched. Remove to a cooling rack to cool immediately.
If your madeleine pan did not hold all of the batter, allow the pan to cool before re-brushing with butter/flour mixture and refilling with batter and baking your next batch.
If desired, sprinkle madeleines with additional powdered sugar or dip in melted chocolate before serving.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 madeleine
Calories: 119 kcal
Carbohydrates: 13 g
Protein: 2 g
Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 35 mg
Sodium: 23 mg
Sugar: 7 g

Reviews

Rose Garritano on 2026-08-09 (5 stars):
Easy to make and the results were delicious. I appreciate that you included an ingredient list with volumes and weights AND that within the instructions you relisted what was needed for each step. Your comments and video were also helpful. The recipe is a keeper for me! Thank you.
Minu on 2026-06-22 (2 stars):
Disclaimer: I’m rarely this frank, and I hate for it to come out harsh! Taste: 8/9 (vanilla and lemon are yum) Structure: stodgy! The inside isn’t light and fluffy, rather dense. I followed all the steps to a T- making sure not to over mix, etc, but the butter still spilled out despite the Viking oven temps! I think this recipe needed far less flour and about 4 tablespoons less butter!
Christina on 2026-05-15 (5 stars):
I have to say something Yesterday was my first time baking madeleines, I tried an horrible recipe and it was a failure. them I asked on reddit and someone shared your recipe. I baked madeleines today using your recipe and it was a SUCCESS!!!!! The taste is so good and buttery, one thing I love is that there is no baking soda! And this is perfect for coating the cookies. Seriously best recipe! easy, delicious, fluffy!! Thank you so much :)
Mingy on 2026-05-14 (5 stars):
I just made this and followed the instructions pretty much exactly (I did whip the eggs a little longer than 30 seconds because the sugar was taking a while to dissolve). It turned out just like regular madeleines! They were soft and delicious :) No eggy flavor or any mishaps that people have mentioned in the comment section. I do have a good quality and light metal madeleine pan that I used for this. Lemon zest gave it a nice kick of lemon flavor. Will make this again in the future for sure!!
Gerard Norris on 2026-05-02 (5 stars):
Fabulous! many thanks ...
Bell on 2026-05-01 (5 stars):
Perfect, approachable, and hard to eat just one.
Rachel on 2026-04-20 (5 stars):
so good! my first time ever making Madeleines and I have only even eaten the ones from Walmart 🫣 but I fell in love and knew I needed to make them myself. they are a little more dense and sweet than the Walmart ones, but I love them and love how much money I will save by making them at home! (girl math... because I won't save any money because now I'll have them more often 😆) super happy with these!
Karen on 2026-04-16 (5 stars):
this is very similar to the recipe I use and they always turn out well. I do add an extra egg yolk for extra richness and a little more evening. I do chill my batter for 15 to 30 min only. easy and delicious.