Classic French madeleines cookies
Cuisine: French
Author: Maria Kalenska
Prep time: 1 hr 10 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 1 hr 20 mins


Ingredients
  • 100 g butter, plus 20 g for greasing
  • 100 g flour
  • 3 g baking powder
  • zest of ¼ lemon
  • 2 eggs
  • 120 g icing sugar
Cooking method
  1. Heat the oven to 180˚С. Melt the butter in a frying pan and let cool. Mix flour with baking powder. Add lemon zest to flour and mix again. Whisk eggs with icing sugar until frothy. Combine flour and eggs. At the very end, add warm melted butter and whisk until smooth. Let the batter rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  2. Brush the madeleine tray with melted butter. Fill each madeleine shell to ⅔ full with the chilled batter. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. It is very easy to check whether the madeleines are baked: use the tip of your finger to lightly press on the cakes. If the madeleines are ready, they will regain their shape. Allow the cakes to cool slightly (2-3 minutes) and then remove from the mould. If you suddenly manage to resist and not eat the airy "shells" at once, then madeleines can be stored for up to 3 days in a closed container.
My tips and tricks
Imagine, in some regions of France, when making madeleines butter is not just melted, but lightly fried to get a delicate nutty flavour. Frying butter properly is not easy: it quickly changes the nutty taste to the burnt one. You will need a frying pan with high sides and a thick bottom and a wooden spatula to stir the butter all the time. It will begin to foam a little and then subside. As soon as a light nutty aroma appears and the butter begins to change colour to golden yellow, remove it from heat and transfer to a separate bowl to stop the process. Now your French madeleines will be perfect!

Maria Kalenska Gastronomy Blog | http://www.myodessacuisine.com/recipes/classic-french-madeleines-cookies/