Lemon Madeleines

lemon madeleines

These Lemon Madeleines will knock the socks of your baby shower guests, and work great as favors to boot. French cookie recipes are usually light and airy, this one is a perfect example.

These little shell-shaped cakes with a citrus perfume, are perfect alone as light dessert, as cake or cupcake topper, with fresh fruit or as an accompaniment to a cup of tea. Madeleines are often associated with the French author Marcel Proust, who immortalized them in the opening scene of the novel Remembrance of Things Past. (recipe makes 2 dozen)

Note: you will need to use a special baking pan for this recipe, we recommend the R & M Madeleine Pan - Non-Stick from Amazon. These are for standard sized Madeleines.

If by chance you are looking to make bite sized versions, a mini pan can be used. We recommend the Gobel 15-1/2-by-5-Inch Mini Madeleine Pan, Non Stick, also from Amazon. You can expect to get approximately 3 1/2 dozen cookies using the mini pans for this recipe.

1 ½ cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pals
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.

2. Put eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and juice in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and thickened, about 5 minutes. Mix in butter. Using a spatula, fold flour mixture into egg mixture. Let batter rest 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter two madeleine pans.

4. Pour batter into prepared pans, filling the molds three-quarters full. Bake cookies, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are crisp and golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Let cookies cool slightly in pans on wire racks. Invert and un-mold. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 day.

This recipe is from Martha Stewart’s Cookies.

Enjoy!

lemon cookies