Brown Butter Madeleines (Easy French Bakery Recipe)

Brown butter madeleines are small, shell-shaped French cakes with browned butter worked into both the batter and the glaze on top.

Make them when you want something from a French bakery without leaving the house. They’re good with afternoon coffee, as a last-minute dessert, or boxed up as a small gift. The whole batch takes under 40 minutes, and the nutty brown butter gives them a cozy fall flavor that suits autumn baking.

The only caveat: you do need a madeleine pan for the shell shape.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• You skip the batter rest. Most madeleine recipes have you chill the batter for an hour or two to force the signature hump. Baking powder does that job here, so the batter goes from the bowl straight into the pan.
• Golden edges, soft centers. Honey and a splash of milk keep the crumb tender while the hot pan crisps the outside, which is the contrast that makes a madeleine worth the pan you had to buy.
• The base takes other flavors easily. Once you have this batter down, the same method covers most madeleine flavors, so you can move on to lemon, orange, or chocolate without learning anything new.

Ingredients Notes and Substitutes

Brown Butter Madeleines

• Egg.
• Sugar. Caster sugar (superfine) is best because it melts more easily in a room-temperature egg, but regular sugar should do, too.
• Honey. Honey makes these cakes moist and adds extra sweetness. If you don’t have honey on hand, substitute it with extra sugar.
• Salt.
• Unsalted butter.
• Cake flour. Cake flour is best for these, but regular all-purpose flour should do, too. The texture will be slightly different, but that’s not the end of the world.
• Vanilla extract. A splash of vanilla adds a bit of extra flavor. Optional, but recommended.
• Baking powder. Baking powder helps the madeleines rise and develop their signature hump. Some traditional recipes skip baking powder and rely only on temperature shock, but we’re not taking any chances—or waiting an hour or two before baking.
• Milk. A bit of milk helps with keeping the madeleine cookies moist.

Brown Butter Glaze

• Powdered sugar. The base of the glaze.
• Unsalted butter. The main flavoring component. In theory, salted butter should work okay too, as we’re adding salt to the glaze anyway.
• Salt. A bit of salt helps bring out the flavor.
• Milk. Full-fat milk is the go-to, but low-fat or skim milk works just as well. We use milk to thin out the glaze and adjust its consistency to what we need.
• Vanilla extract. Optional, but adds a bit of flavor.

How to Make Brown Butter Madeleines

Here’s the simple game plan:

1. Make brown butter and divide it into two parts.
2. Whip up the batter and start baking.
3. Make the glaze while the madeleines are in the oven.
4. After baking and cooling, brush the cakes with the glaze and serve.

Let’s get started.

Step 1: Make Brown Butter

👉 Check out our guide to brown butter for more details.

1. Make brown butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it turns golden brown and smells nutty. The whole process takes 5 to 10 minutes after the butter melts. You’ll first hear a sizzling sound followed by a crackling sound. Soon after, it’ll start turning brown and smelling nutty. When it gets there, take it off the heat, put it in a bowl of cold water, and stir for a minute or two to cool it down.

2. Divide. Set aside two teaspoons of brown butter into a small container or measuring cup. We’ll use that for the glaze, while the remaining brown butter will go into the madeleine batter.

Step 2: Make Madeleines

1. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
2. Mix egg, sugar, and wet ingredients. In a bowl, combine the egg, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, honey, and milk. Mix until smooth.

3. Add dry ingredients. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then mix until fully incorporated.

4. Add the brown butter. Ensure the butter is warm but not hot before adding it. Pour the warm butter into the bowl and stir until the batter is smooth.

5. Prepare the pan. Grease the madeleine molds with butter. I usually cut a small slice of butter and spread it with my fingers. Make sure all surfaces are well-buttered. If your pan isn’t non-stick, dust it with all-purpose flour, then tap out any excess flour that doesn’t stick.

6. Pour the batter. Fill the molds about 3/4 full with the batter.
7. Bake. Place the pan in the preheated oven and immediately lower the temperature to 360°F (180°C). Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the tops are set and the edges are golden brown. Keep an eye on them after the 8-minute mark when baking for the first time, adjusting the baking time based on how they look.

8. Cool. Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and let the madeleines sit for a couple of minutes before releasing them from the pan. They should come out easily, but if needed, gently run a silicone spatula around the edges.

Step 3: Make Brown Butter Glaze

👉 Check out my brown butter glaze recipe for more details.

1. Combine butter, salt, and vanilla extract. In a small bowl, combine the brown butter, a pinch of salt, and vanilla extract, stirring until well mixed.

2. Whisk in powdered sugar. Slowly whisk in sifted powdered sugar.

3. Adjust consistency. Add a bit of milk to loosen it up when the mixture gets lumpy. A little goes a long way. Continue adding powdered sugar and milk until you run out of powdered sugar and are happy with the consistency. Aim for a glaze that flows slowly but smoothly from the whisk. If you add too much milk and the glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar until you get to the right consistency.

Step 4: Combine

1. Glaze the madeleines. Once the madeleines have cooled to the touch, brush the glaze over the shell-shaped side. You can also dip or spoon the glaze on if you prefer.

2. Serve or refrigerate. They’re ready to eat immediately. For a slightly firmer glaze, let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes for an outer crust to form. If not serving right away, store them in the fridge.

Tips

• Try a different topping. If the brown butter glaze feels too rich, a simple powdered sugar glaze or just a dusting of powdered sugar works great.
• Make ahead. Madeleines store well if sealed tightly. You can bake them a day or two ahead. I like to store the glaze separately in the fridge and glaze them fresh the day I serve.

Storage

You can store glazed madeleines in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. If they’re unglazed, keep them in a sealed container at room temperature.

Other Recipes to Try

Looking for more? Check out the following recipes:

• Financiers. French mini cakes made with almond flour and brown butter. Perfect if you’re a brown butter fan looking for a fix.
• Lemon madeleines. Love madeleines? You’ll adore this plan lemon version topped with a quick, zesty glaze that comes together in just 5 minutes. Or these orange madeleines if you have some oranges sitting around.
• Chocolate madeleines. Chocolate-flavored madeleines with a melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate shell. The recipe involves tempering chocolate, which is fairly difficult for first timers, but the effort is totally worth it.

Brown Butter Madeleines

Brown butter madeleines bring rich, nutty flavors to your kitchen with minimal effort. Pair them with a quick brown butter glaze for a treat that’s ready in no time.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Assembly: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Brown Butter, Brown Butter Glaze, Madeleines

Servings: 10 brown butter madeleines

Author: Marcin Skrzypiec

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our privacy policy.

Equipment

• Whisk
• Kitchen scale

Ingredients

Brown Butter:

• 5 tbsp unsalted butter 71g

Brown Butter Madeleines:

• 1 medium egg room temperature, about 50g
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract optional
• 1 tbsp milk 15g
• 4 1/3 tbsp brown butter about 60 g, all the brown butter minus 2 teaspoons for the glaze
• 2 oz cake flour 56g
• 1.5 oz sugar 42g
• 1 tsp honey 7g

Brown Butter Glaze:

• 2 teaspoons brown butter room temperature
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• pinch salt to taste
• 1-2 teaspoons milk adjust based on consistency
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract optional

Instructions

Brown Butter:

• Brown the butter. Melt butter over medium heat until it turns golden brown and smells nutty, about 5-10 minutes after melting. Stir occasionally, remove from heat, and cool in cold water.
  5 tbsp unsalted butter
• Reserve for glaze. Set aside 2 teaspoons of brown butter for the glaze. The rest will go into the madeleine batter.

Madeleines:

• Preheat the oven. Set oven to 390°F (200°C).
• Mix wet ingredients. In a bowl, combine egg, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, honey, and milk. Mix until smooth.
  1 medium egg, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1.5 oz sugar, 1 tsp honey, 1 tbsp milk
• Add dry ingredients. Sift in flour and baking powder, then mix until incorporated.
  2 oz cake flour, 1/4 tsp baking powder
• Add brown butter. Pour warm (not hot) brown butter into the batter, stirring until smooth.
  4 1/3 tbsp brown butter
• Prepare the pan. Grease the madeleine molds with butter and, if necessary, dust with flour.
• Fill and bake. Fill molds 3/4 full, bake at 360°F (180°C) for 9-10 minutes, until golden brown.
• Cool. Let them sit for a couple of minutes, then release from the pan.

Brown Butter Glaze:

• Mix ingredients. Combine reserved brown butter, salt, and vanilla extract.
  2 teaspoons brown butter, pinch salt, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Whisk in powdered sugar. Gradually add powdered sugar, adjusting with milk for consistency. Aim for a smooth, slow-flowing glaze.
  1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1-2 teaspoons milk

Combine:

• Glaze the madeleines. Brush glaze over the shell side or dip the madeleines.
• Serve or store. Serve immediately or refrigerate if not serving soon.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Tried this recipe?Comment below or tag your snaps @definitelynotachefblog or #madewithdnac!