Melt in your Mouth Madeleines with Apricot Glaze

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These Melt in your Mouth Madeleines with Apricot Glaze are a simple take on a French classic. We must admit we were intimidated at venturing into the technique of this small teacake like treat. Neither of us had ever made Madeleines. When we saw the very basic ingredients list we knew this was going to be all about technique. After countless batches and tests, we realized they are actually quite easy but do require a certain level of precision. Were we going to be able to get that spongy airy interior, those crispy brown edges, and that perfect shell shape? We did! They are fantastic and we are going to show you exactly how to make them. And just one last note, if you do not have the madeleines special pans you can totally make those in medium sized muffin tins.

We tried so many glazes and settled on the very light taste of sweet apricot. It goes so well with the delicate flavor of the Madeline. Feel free to leave this out or experiment with flavors you and your family enjoy.

Rules for the perfect Madeleine:

This is one of those recipes where you do not mess around with the rules. Your mission is to create a lighter than air Madeleine and these are the rules that will help you, they are non-negotiable. Indications of the perfect madeleine: crispy brown edges, raised hump in the middle, soft as air interior.

  • Just like almost all baking recipes, eggs need to be at room temperature before starting to work on any batter. This ensures the egg incorporates well with the rest of the ingredients for the perfect madeleines.
  • ******Beating the eggs into the sugar*******: This is one of the most important steps. This takes a while, but pay close attention, we are looking for the mixture to thicken up and be very pale. When you raise the mixture out of the bowl it should be able to hold the shape of small ribbons. More on this later.
  • Bake Time: We will bake these madeleines at two temperatures, on high at 200°C for the first three minutes to shock the madeleines and help with the very important madeleine hump, then we will lower it to 190°C for the remaining baking time (5-7 minutes if using convection oven with a fan, 8-9 minutes if using regular conventional oven with one heat source). You will need to properly preheat your oven, make sure you give it enough time to do so. Sometimes it takes up to 25-30 minutes. Due to the short bake time, this is very important.
  • Resting Time: The madeleine batter needs to rest to allow the baking powder to work its magic and allow the butter to hold its shape again. So a minimum of 2 hours rest in the fridge is a must. What’s great about these, is they can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days. So only bake what you want to eat, then proceed to bake them fresh as needed.
  • Versatility: These are traditionally served with just a dusting of powdered sugar. We have opted for a nice apricot glaze but feel free to replace it with any fruit jam you prefer. These are also great with an addition of the zest of 2 lemons, orange, or 1/3 cup of finely shredded coconut.

Ingredients for Madeleines with Apricot Glaze

Madeleines Ingredients

How to make Madeleines with Apricot Glaze

Prepare Batter

Melting and Browning your Butter

It is optional to brown your butter for this recipe, but it adds so much flavor and since there is no cooling required its easy enough to do. Brown your butter in a medium pan over medium-low heat. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan frequently until your butter turns golden and the milk solids separate and turn brown. You will be able to smell the nuttiness in the brown butter. Be careful brown butter is easily burned. Set aside while we prepare the batter. This needs to remain melted when we add it later, reheat if necessary.

After it has melted add in a pinch of salt.

Brown Butter

In a medium-sized bowl, add your eggs breaking the yolks a bit with a metal whisk. Using a metal whisk is a must to properly beat the eggs, no rubber or plastic whisks. Add the sugar and start whisking vigorously. We need to whisk the eggs and sugar for around 5-6 minutes until the mixture is drastically paler in color, thickens, and holds ribboions when raised above the batter. Take your time here this is the base of the madeleine and will give the mixture its light as air texture. You can use a handheld, or stand mixer to help with this.

Add the honey 1 minute into whisking.

Next, sift in the flour and the baking soda and GENTLY whisk (we do not want to collapse the structure we just built) until well incorporated and the batter is smooth with no lumps.

Add half the melted butter into the mixture, whisking slowly to avoid the butter splattering. Add the rest of the butter and repeat.

Press some cling film directly onto your batter and let that rest in the fridge for 2 hours before baking.

Baking Madeleines

When ready to bake, properly preheat the oven to 200°C using the fan option if available. We will bake these at two temperatures, high for the first three minutes then we will lower it to 190°C for the remaining baking time (5-7 minutes if using convection oven with a fan, 8-9 minutes if using regular conventional oven with one heat source).

Prepare your madeleine pan by spraying with nonstick cooking spray, or use a pastry brush to lightly brush the cavities with butter. Remove the cling film from the mixture. Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter into the center of the cavities.

Place in the oven, say a little prayer, and wait. Do not go anywhere these will bake super quickly. If you notice them browning in some areas and not in others flip your pan around once for even baking. They are done when the edges are golden brown and the bump springs back a bit when pressed. Immediately remove from the pan (they should fall out) dust with powdered sugar and devour while they are still hot.

Or opt. for our apricot glaze. In a small pan mix 3 tbsp of apricot jam with 1 tbsp of water. Heat the mixture until all the jam has melted into the water. Remove from heat. When the madeleines have slightly cooled use a pastry brush to glaze the madeleines, then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Now devour and don’t forget to have your coffee pot ready!

These are best served immediatly the Madeleine texture deteriorates very quickly so only bake what you will eat. Keep the batter in the fridge for up to 3 days and bake as needed.

Madeleines with Apricot Glaze
Madeleines with Apricot Glaze

Melt in your Mouth Madeleines with Apricot Glaze

Servings 18 Madeleine
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting 2 hours

Ingredients

  • 100 grams all purpose flour ½ cup
  • 3 grams baking powder 1 tsp
  • 100 grams butter 7 tbsp
  • 2 eggs (room temperature)
  • 100 grams sugar preferably fine caster sugar
  • 20 grams honey 2 tsp
  • sprinkle salt
  • powdered sugar for serving

Apricot Glaze

  • 3 tbsp Apricot jam
  • 1 tbsp water

Instructions

Making Madeleines

  • Browning the butter is optional, you can just use melted butter instead. Brown your butter in a medium pan over medium-low heat. Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan frequently until your butter turns golden and the milk solids separate and turn brown. You will be able to smell the nuttiness in the brown butter. Be careful brown butter is easily burned. Set aside while we prepare the batter. This needs to remain melted when we add it later, reheat if necessary.
  • After melting the butter add in a small pinch of salt.
  • In a medium-sized bowl, add your eggs breaking the yolks a bit with a metal whisk. Add the sugar and start whisking vigorously. We need to whisk the eggs and sugar for around 5-6 minutes until the mixture is drastically paler in color, thickens, and holds ribbons when raised above the batter (refer to the blog for picture). You can opt for using a handheld or stand mixer to help with this. Add the honey 1 minute into whisking.
  • Sift in the flour and the baking soda and GENTLY whisk (we do not want to collapse the structure we just built) until well incorporated and the batter is smooth with no lumps.
  • Add half the melted butter into the mixture, whisking slowly to avoid the butter splattering. Add the rest of the butter and repeat.
  • Press some cling film directly onto your batter and let that rest in the fridge for 2 hours before baking.

Apricot Glaze

  • In a small pan on medium heat, whisk together water and jam until the jam has melted into the water. Set aside.

Baking Madeleines

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) on the fan option if available.
  • Prepare your madeleine pan by spraying with nonstick cooking spray, or use a pastry brush to lightly brush the cavities with butter.
  • Scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter into the center of the cavities.
  • Bake on high in the preheated oven 200°C for 3 minutes, lower the temperature to 190°C and bake for an additional (5-7 minutes if using convection oven with a fan, 8-9 minutes if using a regular conventional oven with one heat source) until the sides are golden brown and the hump springs back to the touch. If you notice them browning in some areas and not in others flip your pan around once for even baking.
  • Remove pan from oven, bang it on the countertop and immediately unmold onto a baking sheet.
  • Allow the madeleines to slightly cool then using a pastry brush glaze the madeleines, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm immediately.
  • Keep the remaining batter in the fridge for up to 3 days and bake as needed. See NOTES for additional flavor options.

Notes

These are best served immediately the Madeleine texture deteriorates very quickly so only bake what you will eat. Keep the batter in the fridge for up to 3 days and bake as needed.
If you do not have a madeleine pan, this works in a mini cupcake pan, although the texture will not be exactly the same. 
Feel free to change up the flavors: try the zest of 2 lemons, 1/3 cup shredded coconut, or the zest of 1 orange. Just mix it into your batter and proceed with the instructions above. 
Course: Dessert

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