You can surprise your loved ones not only with exquisite cakes or pastries. For a change, you can bake some tasty and interesting-looking cookies for your loved ones, for example, Madeleine cookies.Authentic French Madeleines should be baked in special shell-shaped molds; this ensures they look as delicious in photos as they do in taste. The recipe for this sweet treat is simple and won't take much time.

If you don't have these molds, no problem. The recipe allows you to easily substitute them with something of similar size, and to ensure they look just as good in the photos, you can decorate them after baking, perhaps with icing. We present the classic recipe for this delicious treat.

Classic cookies

Madeleine cookies 2

Ingredients:

  • Eggs – 3 pcs.
  • Butter – 120 gr.
  • Sugar – 120 gr.
  • Flour – 110 gr.
  • Almond crumbs – 50 g (or whole almonds).
  • Vanillin – 1 packet (or ¼ teaspoon of vanilla essence).
  • Baking powder – 0.5 sachet.
  • Lemon – 1 pc. (large).
  • Powdered sugar – 150 g (for glaze, optional).
  • Almond flakes or coconut flakes – 30 g (for decoration, optional).

Cookie recipe:

  1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Grease a baking pan with butter or spray with baking spray.
  2. Using a fine grater, grate the zest from the entire lemon. Set the remaining lemon aside—you'll need it later if you decide to make the glaze.
  3. Grind the almonds using a blender. If you have whole almonds, you'll need to remove the skins first. To do this, drop the almonds in boiling water for 7-10 minutes, then peel the skins off by hand – they will easily separate from the kernels. Then lightly toast the almonds in a frying pan or oven, being careful not to burn them. Now you're ready to grind them in a blender.
  4. Add baking powder to the ground almonds, then sift in the flour and mix everything.
  5. Melt the butter in the microwave or over low heat and set aside.
  6. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and eggs and begin beating them at medium speed with a mixer until a medium-thick foam forms.
  7. While continuing to whisk, pour the melted butter into the egg-sugar mixture in a thin stream and bring the mixture to a smooth consistency.
  8. Next, add the lemon zest, vanilla, and flour mixture to the resulting mixture. Reduce the mixer speed or switch to the dough hook attachments and knead the dough thoroughly.
  9. Transfer the resulting dough into the molds, smooth them out, and bake for 12 minutes. It's important not to overbake the cookies, otherwise they'll become too dry.
  10. After the baking time is up, carefully remove the pan and let it cool, and then remove our cookies.

Classic French Madeleines are ready! You can take a photo right away and start eating with gusto, or decorate them with icing first.

Glaze recipe

Madeleine cookies 3

  1. Squeeze the remaining lemon, being careful not to get the seeds in. You only need a small amount of lemon juice, just 2-3 teaspoons.
  2. Place the powdered sugar in a mixing bowl, add the lemon juice, and then gradually add 1-1.5 tablespoons of hot boiled water (depending on the consistency). Stir vigorously for about five minutes, until the glaze is shiny and smooth.
  3. Immediately coat the cookies with a thin layer of icing. It dries very quickly, so the cookies should be ready to be iced immediately.
  4. If you'd like to decorate the cookies over the liquid coating, you can use coconut flakes, slivered almonds, or get creative and add your own personal touch. Coating the cookies with almond flakes will further enhance the flavor of this extraordinary dessert.

Design and decoration

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As you've probably already figured out, the icing recipe is just as simple as the cookie recipe itself. To make things easier, you can buy pre-made almond flour and lemon zest—this will cut the time it takes to make this mind-blowing treat by at least a third. The only downside to store-bought almond flour is that the almond flavor in the finished cookies won't be as pronounced as if you use almond sliver or almonds. However, you can also coat the finished cookies with almond syrup instead of icing.

See how to make chocolate Madeleines.


Even plain Madeleine cookies will have your guests gobbling them up and begging you for the recipe. Maybe next time you'll make a double batch of this sweet treat! Enjoy!