Classic Lemon Madeleines Recipe

If there's one famous cookie that has cemented its place in literary history, it would be the madeleine. This classic cookie triggered a memory that launched Marcel Proust's seven-volume opus "A la Recherche du Temps Perdu," better known to the English-speaking world as "Remembrance of Things Past." Proust described the cookie as "one of those short, plump little cakes called Petites Madeleines, which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted scallop of a pilgrim's shell" (via Reading Proust).

Whether or not you're big a fan of epic French literature, you're sure to find recipe developer Eric Ngo's lemon madeleines to be memorable indeed. Ngo says madeleines are his go-to recipe for afternoon entertaining, and he describes them as "quick to make and bake, and amazingly delicious when they're fresh." As he tells us, "Once I had tasted freshly baked madeleines, I haven't purchased store-bought madeleines ever since!"

Begin making the madeleines by melting the butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl, then setting it aside. Next, whisk the sugar together with the eggs for four minutes, at which point the mixture should be a pale color. Add the milk to the eggs and stir, gently, for 30 seconds. Add the flour and the baking powder, stirring these in for two minutes until you have a smooth batter. Finish by stirring in the melted butter and the lemon zest.

Now comes the really, really important part: Cover the bowl of batter with plastic wrap, and stick it in the fridge for at least two hours. Ngo says that resting the batter is the secret to getting the madeleines' shape to come out just right. As he tells us, "Madeleines should have a high bump! If they don't, it usually means the batter was baked right away without proper resting time in the refrigerator."

Once the oven is hot and the madeleines are in their molds, place the molds in the oven and bake the cookies for three to four minutes. At this point, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake them for another four to five minutes. Ngo describes what the madeleines should look like at this point: "The edges should be a light brown color and the middle still a pale yellow color."

They should also, of course, have that "signature madeleine bump," as Ngo calls it. In order to achieve this, you not only need to rest the batter, as previously mentioned, but he says, "It is important to have the cold batter go into a super hot oven so that a temperature shock will occur." This temperature shock is what causes the madeleines to rise and form that bump.

These lemon-flavored madeleines are actually only the second-most popular variety of this classic cookie. Ngo explains that the typical madeleine is "usually 'natural' or vanilla-flavored," instead, but he explains that you can easily make such a version by substituting a teaspoon of vanilla extract for the lemon zest in this recipe. He also says you could tweak this recipe to make orange madeleines by using the zest of that fruit, or, if you want chocolate madeleines, you could leave out the lemon zest and add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the batter. For some extra-chocolatey indulgence, you could even sprinkle these cookies with some mini chocolate chips before you bake them.