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madeleines + a tasting bar

With this easy Madeleine recipe and a table filled with chocolates and sprinkles, any gathering can become an impromptu Paris afternoon to remember.

Prepare the Madeleine tasting bar by laying out a tablecloth or fabric. Place the Madeleine’s on a decorative plate or cake stand. Prepare melted chocolate in bowls that are deep enough for dipping cookies (Wilton makes easy candy melts you can microwave). Fill paper baking cups with cupcake sprinkles and gems. The Madeleines can also be served simply with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar.

Read on for the best Madeleine recipe.

Ingredients for 18 to 22 cookies; 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, a pinch of salt, 1/2 cup sugar, grated zest of 1 lemon, 2 large eggs, at room temperature, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsealed butter, melted and cooled.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl or mixer bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips until sugar is moist and fragrant. Add eggs to the bowl. With a hand mixer or whisk attachment, beat the eggs and lemon sugar until pale and thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Use a rubber spatula and gently fold in the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter. Take a piece of plastic wrap and press against the surface of the batter. Refrigerate batter for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400F and center a rack in the oven. Butter and lightly dust a Madeleine pan with flour; tap out excess flour (alternatively, lightly coat pan with baking spray).

Tip: If you do not have a madeleine pan, you can use a pan with shallow molds, such as a small muffin pan.

Spoon molds with batter, filling almost to the top. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden and tops spring back when touched. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan before transferring Madeleine’s to a rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Post and photography by Athena Plichta. Recipe from Baking by Dorie Greenspan.

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