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 (423 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

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.