Madeleine cookies – 7 recipes for French sponge cookies

Reviews (5)

30

Prepared by: Erich

09/22/2012 Cooking time: 30 min

Madeleine cookies require special molds, as they are seashell-shaped cookies. But you can make these cookies in other molds if you don’t have special ones.

Recipe 1: Madeleine biscuits (step by step photos)

I suggest you prepare incredibly delicious Madeleine biscuits. There are many legends about its origin. One of which says that the Polish king Stanislav Leszczynski gave a ball in Paris. But just before the ball, the chef fell ill and the guests could be left without food. The situation was saved by a maid who prepared cookies in the shape of shells according to her grandmother’s recipe. The dessert created a sensation among the guests and it was decided to name the cookies after the girl - Madeleine. This delicacy is baked in special shell-shaped molds, but it can also be prepared in cupcake and muffin tins, you just need to fill 2 teaspoons at a time. This melt-in-your-mouth delicacy will be a pleasant addition to a family tea party.

• powdered sugar - 120 g;
• vanilla sugar - 5 g;
• eggs - 2 pcs.;
• butter - 100 g;
• baking powder for dough - 1 tsp;
• wheat flour - 100 g.

Before starting to prepare the cookies, you need to preheat the oven to 220 degrees. At maximum mixer speed, beat eggs with powdered sugar and vanilla sugar. You need to beat for 7-10 minutes until you obtain a light creamy mass and increase the volume by 3 times.

Add melted and cooled butter, mix thoroughly with a spoon.

Sift flour and baking powder through a sieve and add to the egg-butter mixture. Gently mix with a spoon until the consistency is homogeneous (the dough should look like thick sour cream).

Grease the Madeleine cookie molds with a little butter. Place the dough into the molds, filling them 2/3 full. I baked in silicone ones and therefore did not need to grease them.

Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 220 degrees for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes. Madeleine biscuits prepared according to this recipe are fragrant and incredibly tender. Serve with tea, coffee or cold milk. If desired, you can sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

A little about history

They say that in the 18th century, in one of the rich houses, the chef somehow fell ill. And everything would have been fine, but only a big reception was being prepared. Everyone got down to business, including the owners of the house. Is it conceivable, since the queen herself promised to come to the holiday. And if everything was more or less in order with the main courses, then the dessert was a real disaster. The planned pie burned in the oven, and there was no time left to cook something new. The situation was saved by a young, nimble maid named Madeleine. She suggested her great-grandmother's cookie recipe. Since it was already too late to change anything, they did not argue with her and relied on luck. The guests were so delighted with the delicate delicacy that they named it “Madeleine” in honor of that girl. Whether this is true or not, no one can say. The story is beautiful, probably like Madeleine herself, these cookies are truly amazing. By the way, it was also a favorite of the writer Alexandre Dumas. So much so that he included the recipe in his book “Culinary Dictionary”. But he was a real gourmet and knew a lot about desserts. At that time, cookies became fashionable and were served in all decent houses.

What is fact and what is fiction is not for us to judge. But the symbol of France is considered to be Madeleine cookies, the classic recipe of which has been passed down from generation to generation for two and a half centuries. In 2006, it represented its country at Europe Day as part of the initiative of the Austrian Presidency of the European Union.

Recipe 2: Delicate French Madeleine Cookies

It turns out with a crispy crust, tender in consistency and aromatic.

• Butter 100 grams
• Egg 2 pieces
• Powdered sugar 100 grams
• Vanilla sugar 1 sachet
• Flour 100 grams

The butter must be melted until almost liquid.

Then mix eggs, powdered sugar and vanilla sugar.

Beat with a mixer until foamy.

Next we go with flour: also with a mixer until the consistency is homogeneous.

The last step is to add butter and mix everything well. We ended up with a dough that you can’t handle with your hands, but put it in a pastry bag.

Grease the silicone molds for Madeleine with a little vegetable oil. You can sprinkle a little flour.

Place the cookie dough into the molds.

Bake in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 12 minutes, you may need less.

Place the finished cookies on a wire rack and let cool completely. Enjoy your tea!

Recipe 3: Madeleine - French cookies with honey

It is very simple to prepare, the main point is in the molds - they resemble scallops, but I think that they can be prepared in any molds, if there are no special molds for madeleines, for example, fill 1/3 cupcake molds.

Also, when baking Madeleine cookies, the formation of a “tubercle” is allowed, and it is most convenient to fill the molds with a pastry syringe (or simply put the dough in a regular plastic bag and, cutting off the tip, fill the molds) - this is necessary in order to avoid the formation of air bubbles and in order to so that the dough is evenly distributed in the molds and baked evenly.

• flour – 230 gr.,
• zest of 1 orange (1 heaped teaspoon),
• butter - 200g.,
• eggs – 3 pcs.,
• sugar - 200 gr.,
• honey - 2 teaspoons

We'll tackle the butter first. When preparing madeleines, many people simply use melted or softened butter, adding baking powder or soda, but in this recipe all “auxiliary elements” of this kind are absent and we will prepare melted butter. For the ghee, place the butter in a small saucepan and melt it over low heat while stirring.

The oil begins to boil a little - remove the foam and heat until it becomes transparent and acquires a characteristic “nutty” aroma. A small sediment will appear - this is normal. Strain the oil through a fine strainer.

Grate the orange on a fine grater and add it to the melted butter, mix.

Add honey and mix - the mass will become especially aromatic.

Beat eggs, sugar and flour into a separate container. Beat until smooth and fluffy.

Add cooled (not hot) ghee to the dough and beat until smooth - you get a plastic, smooth dough. We “wrap” the dough with film and put it in the refrigerator to “recharge” for 1 hour.

Grease the madeleine molds (or any muffin tins - but fill them no more than one and a half centimeters high) with butter.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator. I took this photo on purpose - do you see how porous and airy its structure has become? It turns out very tender.

Using a pastry syringe or plastic bag, fill the molds with dough.

Use a spatula or knife to level the surface. And put in an oven preheated to 180 degrees - bake until golden brown for 10-15 minutes.

This is how wonderful madeleines turn out) Light, airy... They can be sprinkled with powdered sugar, or served with sweet sauce, or you can do nothing at all - amazingly tasty and tender biscuit cookies!

Recipe 4: Madeleine cookies with lemon zest (with photo)

As flavorings, you can choose what you like best - orange zest, vanilla, any liqueur or rum.

• 100 g butter (of which 5-10 g is for greasing the molds)
• 2 eggs
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 120 g flour
• 7-10 g vanilla sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Lemon zest of one lemon

Melt the butter over low heat and let it cool.

Wash the lemon very well and cut off the zest using a special knife. You can also grate the zest on a fine grater, trying not to touch the white layer. Squeeze 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Break the eggs into a mixing bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla sugar. Beat with a mixer at high speed for about 5 minutes.

The mass should become creamy and light.

Add sifted flour, lemon zest and juice to the mixture. Mix gently with a whisk or silicone spatula.

Pour in the cooled melted butter and stir. The dough will be thick, like pancakes.

Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate the dough overnight.

In the morning, lightly grease the madeleine molds with butter. Spoon the dough about 2/3 full.

Bake cookies in an oven preheated to 190 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Check readiness with a wooden skewer. Before serving, let the cookies cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for a week. Serve these cookies with tea or coffee. Very tasty even just with milk. Delicate, fragrant Madeleine cookies are ready. Bon appetit!

Nutritional and energy value:

Recipe 5, classic: Madeleine cookies (step by step)

Madeleine cookies are famous French cookies, usually shaped like shells. Madeleine cookies are very tasty, light and aromatic cookies. It is prepared very quickly and enjoys constant success.

• Flour 60 - gram
• Baking powder - 0.5 teaspoon
• Butter - 60 grams
• Sugar - 60 grams
• Egg - 1 piece
• Lemon zest - 1 teaspoon
• Vanilla sugar - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - a pinch

Grease the molds for baking Madeleine cookies with butter.

Place 60 grams of soft butter in a mixer bowl, add 60 grams of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar, a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of lemon zest and mix at high speed.

While mixing, gradually add one egg and continue mixing at high speed until a homogeneous fluffy mass is obtained.

Sift 60 grams of flour and half a teaspoon of baking powder into the resulting egg-oil mixture.

Gently mix until you obtain a soft, homogeneous dough.

Fill the prepared molds three-quarters full with dough; this can be done using two spoons or a pastry bag. We transfer the dough into a pastry bag and fill the molds.

Bake Madeleine cookies in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius for approximately 10 minutes, until golden brown.

Place the finished cookies on a wooden board and let cool. We serve delicious, world-famous French Madeleine cookies with tea or coffee.

The main thing is the form

According to the rules, cookie cutters should be in the shape of shells. You can choose others, but these are the ones with the special charm. It is better to use silicone ones, since the cookies are very delicate and are difficult to remove from metal molds without damaging them.

By the way, the shape of madeleines in the form of shells was originally invented. Only confectioners used real sea shells.

A few words about baking temperature. In order for the cookies to brown properly, you need to select a mode with lower heating. It is imperative to maintain the recommended temperature. If overheated, the cookies may crack.

It is not recommended to grease silicone molds with oil before baking, otherwise they will darken. It is better to use products from trusted manufacturers, this guarantees safety and quality.

Well, that's all with theory for now. Let's move on to the practical part.

Recipe 6, simple: orange madeleine cookies

• eggs 3 pcs.
• sugar 140 grams
• vanilla essence 1 tsp.
• butter 150 grams
• orange juice 2 tbsp.
• orange zest, finely grated 1 tbsp.
• wheat flour 200 grams
• baking powder 1 tsp.

Melt the butter and set aside.

Beat the eggs with sugar, orange zest, juice and vanilla essence, not too much.

Add flour sifted with baking powder and knead the dough. Add the oil that has cooled to room temperature and knead again.

Place the dough in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, or better yet, overnight. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the dough in the molds and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.