Honey madeleines are a sweet French treat that are quick and easy to make. They’re perfect for a light dessert, as an afternoon treat (alongside a cup of coffee), or as part of a sweet breakfast!
There are so many ways to make a Madeleine. This delicate little French treat has so many fun variations. This honey madeleines recipe is a more classic-ish take as far as madeleine recipes go.
As honey madeleines are not too sweet or garnished with any frosting, they work perfectly as a light dessert option, as well as something sweet to have alongside a cup of coffee (typically, I have my madeleines as a breakfast treat!).
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What are honey madeleines
Madeleines are a popular French treat that can be described as uniquely-shaped sponge cakes (though they tend to be a bit airier than most small cakes) – the shape is the result of a particular mold used for baking madeleines. Sometimes, they are referred to as Madeleine cookies or Madeleine cakes too.
Honey madeleines are simply madeleines that have been sweetened with honey. This is a popular version of the Madeleine that is often seen at restaurants. This version has a touch of lemon zest and vanilla. (Other Madeline recipes may be flavoured with fruit, chocolate, and a variety of drizzles – I’ll give you a few fun options later in this post!)
Ingredients
- Honey
- Sugar
- Beurre noisette
- Wheat flour, sifted
- Almond flour
- Salt
- Lemon zest
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Baking soda
How to make beurre noisette
Beurre noisette is brown butter (or nutty butter), which you can make by heating butter in a saucepan until it turns golden brown and emits a nutty aroma. Be careful not to burn the butter as it will become bitter.
How to make honey madeleines
In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, sifted wheat flour, and sugar, then set aside.
In a separate bowl of a stand mixer (set up with the whisk attachment), whisk the eggs and salt using a medium-high speed, until foamy. Add the honey, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and baking soda to the stand mixer, and continue to whisk, until incorporated. Gradually, add the flour mixture that you set aside in the first bowl. Mix together until a smooth batter has formed.
Next, gradually add the beurre noisette, continuing to whisk, until completely incorporated.
Transfer the madeleine batter to a piping bag. Rest for about an hour in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 395 degrees F.
Pipe the batter into your madeleine mold, filling each indentation until almost full (I usually aim for about two thirds or a little bit more). Tap the mold gently on the counter to level the batter.
Place the Madeleine baking tray into the preheated oven, and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until the madeleines are golden brown and spring back when lightly touched.
Remove the baking tray from the oven and carefully remove the madeleines from the mold and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve the honey madeleines with a cup of tea or coffee, and enjoy!
Tips
There are a lot of different ways to make madeleines. Some recipes call for cooled melted butter, while others use egg whites. Honestly, even the base recipe here can be played around with. My Lemon & Poppy Seed Madeleines recipe is also a type of honey Madeleine recipe – it just has a different base and the addition of poppy seeds!
As such, feel free to experiment with this recipe too. Remove the vanilla extract or lemon zest. Add another zest, if you want! Here are some general tips to keep in mind regardless of what kind of Madeleine you are making.
- Sift your flour.
- Your eggs should be room temperature.
- Make sure to chill your batter before piping. For extra credit, chill your batter AND the Madeleine pan after you’ve piped the madeline batter into it.
- If you have an issue with madeleines sticking to the pan, consider lightly flouring the mould before piping in the batter (this tends to be less of an issue when using a silicone pan). Alternatively, you can use a pastry brush to add a touch of melted butter into each indentation.
- While I use a stand mixer for this recipe, these madeleines can be made by hand. Grab a bowl, your favourite rubber spatula, and mix away (thankfully, it won’t tax your big, strong whisking muscles too much!).
What kind of mold to use
Madeleines are made using specifically shaped molds. However there is a fair amount of variety in the types of Madeline mold – unless you’re planning to sell your madeleines, you don’t need to worry about the mold material.
Silicone molds are cheaper and will work very well. They also come in more colours and designs. They are also easier to clean. Metal molds are industry standard as they conduct heat better, and do lead to the best Madeleine shapes too.
More madeleine recipes
- Strawberry madeleines
- Chocolate madeleine mummies (perfect for Halloween!)
- Chocolate Orange Madeleines
Helpful tools
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As you might expect, it’s a bit difficult to make French Madeleines without a Madeleine pan. There are several different types of Madeleine mould you can use, but a simple Madeleine pan is often the most economical and versatile option.
Storage
Madeleines can be stored for up to four days in an airtight container. I do not recommend freezing madeleines as they do not typically thaw well.
And that’s it! That’s everything you need to know to make this honey Madeleine recipe. If you’ve tried these honey madeleines, let me know what you thought in the comments below.
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Print📖 Recipe
Honey Madeleines
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 24 honey madeleines 1x
Description
Honey madeleines are a sweet French treat that are quick and easy to make. They’re perfect for a light dessert, as an afternoon treat (alongside a cup of coffee), or as part of a sweet breakfast!
Ingredients
- 25g honey
- 75g sugar
- 125g beurre noisette
- 114g wheat flour, sifted
- 60g almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine almond flour, sifted wheat flour, and sugar. This is your flour mixture. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer, whisk eggs and salt on medium-high speed, until foamy.
- Add honey, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and baking soda to the stand mixer bowl, and continue to whisk.
- Gradually add flour mixture to the bowl. Mix until you have a smooth batter.
- Gradually add beurre noisette to the bowl, continuing to whisk and form the madeleine batter.
- Transfer batter to a piping bag. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 395 degrees F.
- Pipe batter into madeleine mold, filling each cavity about almost full. Tap the mold gently on the counter to level the batter.
- Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until the madeleines are golden brown and spring back when lightly touched.
- Remove the madeleine pan from the oven. Remove the madeleines from the mold and transfer them to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
Notes
Buerre Noisette
Beurre noisette is brown butter. You can make it by heating butter in a saucepan until it turns golden brown and emits a nutty aroma. Just be careful not to overcook the butter at which point it’ll start to go black, and taste bitter/burnt.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: honey madeleines, madeleines, madeleines with honey
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