Matcha Madeleines with a White Chocolate Shell

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Soft, buttery madeleines infused with matcha and finished with a delicate white chocolate shell.

This recipe walks you through the classic French treat with step-by-step instructions—including an optional guide to tempering chocolate for a glossy, professional finish.

Recipe Info

Here’s what you need to know:

• Madeleines are easy. The white chocolate shell? Not so much. The madeleines themselves are simple – mix the ingredients, pour the batter into a madeleine pan, and bake. The chocolate shell, however, requires precision and patience since it involves tempering. But don’t worry—it’s completely optional.
• You’ll need a madeleine pan and a food thermometer. To get that signature shell shape, a madeleine pan is a must. If you’re adding the chocolate shell, a non-stick madeleine pan (like carbon steel or silicone) works best. And if you plan to temper the chocolate, a food thermometer is essential.

Making matcha madeleines for the first time? Read the ingredients notes, step-by-step instructions, and tips. If you’re familiar with the recipe, feel free to jump to the recipe card.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Matcha Madeleines

• Matcha powder. Culinary grade is fine. Use whatever matcha you have on hand.
• 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, substitute it with extra sugar.
• Salt.
• Unsalted butter.
• Cake flour. Cake flour is best for these, but regular all-purpose flour works okay, 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 full-fat milk for extra moisture.

Chocolate Shell

• White chocolate. White couverture chocolate is the best option, but if you’re a beginner, stick with a good quality bar of white chocolate with cocoa butter and no vegetable oils in the ingredients list. It’s cheaper, and you can always progress to couverture chocolate later on.
• Matcha. We need a bit of matcha to color the chocolate.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Matcha Madeleines

Step 1: Make Madeleines

1. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
2. Melt the butter. Melt the butter on the stove and set it aside to cool down.

3. Mix egg, sugar, and wet ingredients. In a bowl, combine the egg, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, milk, and honey. Mix until smooth.

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

5. Add the melted butter. Ensure the butter is warm but not hot before adding it. If it’s too hot, let it cool by placing the pot in cold water for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the warm butter into the bowl and stir until the batter is smooth.

6. Prepare the pan. Grease the madeleine molds with butter. I usually cut a small slice of butter and spread it with my finger. 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.

7. Pour the batter. Fill the molds about 3/4 full with the batter.
8. 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 start to darken. 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.

9. 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. Place the mini cakes on a cooling rack so they cool more quickly.

10. Prep for making shells. Wash the madeleine pan and wipe it dry. Then, grab a pastry bag and place it inside a large cup, folding the top of the bag over the rim of the cup. This holds the bag steady while you fill it with chocolate, keeping things mess-free. We want everything prepped in advance because once the chocolate is nice and tempered, we need to move fast.

Step 2: Temper Chocolate

(Make sure to read my guide to tempering chocolate if you haven’t already.)

1. Prep white chocolate. If you’re working with a chocolate bar, chop it roughly. White chocolate melts easily, so we don’t need a fine chop. If you’re using couverture chocolate, it often comes in discs or callets, so that part’s done for you.

2. Prep double boiler. Set up a double boiler by placing a heatproof bowl over a saucepan with about 1 inch of water. Make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Set it over medium heat, and add about 2/3 of your chopped chocolate into the bowl. Reserve the rest. Lower the heat to a minimum once the water starts to boil.

3. Melt the chocolate. Stir the chocolate every minute or so with a silicone spatula. When it begins to melt, stir more frequently. Keep an eye on the temperature so it doesn’t exceed the 122°F (50°C). If it starts to get close to that temperature, turn off the heat or lift the bowl from the double boiler briefly to cool it slightly. When about 90 percent of the chocolate has melted, turn off the heat, remove the bowl from the double boiler, and wipe the bottom dry.

4. Color and seed. Stir until the last bits of chocolate melt, then sift in your matcha powder and mix until evenly green. Adjust the matcha until you like the color. Next, stir in two-thirds of the reserved unmelted chocolate—this “seeding” method helps form stable crystals. Keep stirring until it melts. If the temperature is above 95°F (35°C), add half of the remaining chocolate. If it’s still above that, add the rest.

5. Temper. Now, it’s time to bring your chocolate down to the tempering temperature, which for white chocolate is 79°F (26°C) – 81°F (27°C). The easiest way is to submerge the bowl in cold tap water (in a larger bowl or soup plate) and keep stirring, making sure to scrape the bottom and sides. Check the temperature often. When it enters the tempering temperature range, remove it from the cold water immediately, wipe it dry, and stir once or twice. At this point, the chocolate is tempered; all that’s left is to warm it slightly so it’s easier to pour.

6. Warm up. Bring your chocolate to its working temperature (82°F (28°C) – 84°F (29°C) for white chocolate) so it’s more fluid. You can submerge the bowl in warm water (either warm tap water or water from the double boiler) and stir, scraping the bottom and sides, or place the bowl back on top of the double boiler over low heat for a minute or two. Keep checking the temperature. When it reaches the working range, remove it from the heat, wipe it dry, and stir again. Your chocolate is now ready to use. If you accidentally exceed the working temperature, go back to the seeding step and repeat.

7. (Optional) Test for temper. To double-check if your chocolate is tempered, dip a knife or offset spatula in the chocolate, then stick it in the fridge for 2 to 3 minutes. If it sets firm and glossy without streaks, you’re good to go.

Step 3: Make Chocolate Shells

1. Prep pastry bag. Fill the pastry bag with tempered chocolate. Cut a small hole at the tip – about 1/8 to 2/8 inch wide – so you’ve got good control.

2. Pipe and mold. Pipe a thin, even layer of chocolate into a single mold cavity. Start from the center and swirl outwards until you’ve coated the whole bottom. Now, grab a madeleine and gently press it (shell side down) into the chocolate. Push just enough so that the chocolate creeps up around the edges of the cookie. You should see a little chocolate coming up the sides – that’s how you know it’ll cover the edges properly. If there’s not enough chocolate in the cavity, try piping a little extra around the edges. Repeat for all the madeleines you’ve got.
3. Chill and set. Pop the whole tray in the fridge for about 20 minutes so the chocolate firms up. Then, transfer it to the freezer for 8 to 10 minutes to make unmolding easier. Don’t exceed freezing time – we just want to make everything cold enough so the madeleines unmold easily.

4. Unmold. Remove the madeleine pan from the freezer and unmold the madeleines. If you’re using a silicone mold, that should be super easy. If it’s a non-stick metal mold, drop it from about 4 to 5 inches onto a firm surface like a kitchen table. The impact should make the madeleines pop right out. You might need to do a couple of drops to release the more stubborn ones, but they’ll come out beautifully if your chocolate is properly tempered. You can also try removing the madeleines from the pan using a silicone spatula or by placing the pan upside down and tapping the bottom, but that doesn’t always work, even if the chocolate is properly tempered. Dropping my non-stick metal mold onto a firm surface works every time (at least for me).

5. Serve. Once unmolded, the madeleines are ready to be served. They’re delicious right away, but if you prefer, you can leave them on the counter for 30 minutes, so they come to room temperature.

Need a Simpler Coating?

Tempering chocolate feels like too much work? No problem. Here are some easy alternatives for topping your matcha madeleines:

• Powdered sugar. A timeless classic that works with just about any madeleine. Simply dust cooled madeleines with powdered sugar, and you’re done.
• Powdered sugar glaze. Want a quick and impressive-looking coating? This is the one. Just whisk powdered sugar with milk or lemon juice and a splash of vanilla until smooth, then brush it over your madeleines.
• White chocolate ganache. Melt 4 oz of white chocolate in a double boiler, then stir in 1/8 cup of room-temperature heavy cream until smooth. Once the ganache thickens slightly (it firms up as it cools), dip or brush your madeleines for a rich, creamy finish.

Tips

• No pastry bag? Use a zip-top bag. If you don’t have a pastry bag, a zip-top bag works just as well. Fill it with chocolate, snip a small hole in one corner, and pipe away.
• Adjust the chocolate amount. The chocolate quantity in the recipe works for my madeleine pan, but yours might be different. To be safe, temper 20% more chocolate than the recipe calls for. Or just follow the recipe, see how much you need, and adjust next time.

Storage

Store these matcha madeleines in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days—just keep them away from heat and direct sunlight.

That said, they’re at their best for a day or two before the chocolate shell starts to soften slightly. I don’t have an exact science on why (if you do, drop a comment!), but my best guess is that the chocolate slowly absorbs moisture from the madeleine.

If you want to keep the shells crisp, store them in the fridge instead.

Similar Recipes to Try

Looking for more? Try these:

• Chocolate madeleines. Classic chocolate madeleines with a milk chocolate shell. You’ll love it if you love this recipe.
• Lemon madeleines. A simple, zesty madeleine recipe you can whip up in under 30 minutes.
• Matcha financiers. Matcha-flavored French mini cakes. You’ll need almond flour and some time to brown your butter, but the flavor payoff is totally worth it.

Matcha madeleines

Soft, buttery madeleines infused with matcha and finished with a delicate white chocolate shell.

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Tempering: 50 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Keyword: Madeleines, Matcha, Matcha Madeleines, Tempered Chocolate, White Chocolate

Servings: 9 matcha madeleines

Author: Marcin Skrzypiec

Equipment

• Whisk
• Food scale
• Food thermometer
• Silicone spatula

Ingredients

Matcha Madeleines:

• 1 medium egg room temperature, about 50g
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
• 2 teaspoon milk 10g
• 4 tablespoon butter 56g
• 2 oz cake flour 56g
• 1.5 oz sugar 42g
• 1 teaspoon honey 7g
• 1 teaspoon matcha powder

Chocolate Shells

• 5 oz white chocolate ~140 g
• 1/2 teaspoon matcha powder more if needed for coloring

Instructions

Make Madeleines:

• Preheat the Oven. Preheat your oven to 390°F (200°C).
• Melt Butter. Melt the butter and let it cool.
• Mix Wet Ingredients. Combine egg, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, milk, and honey in a bowl; mix until smooth.
  1 medium egg, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoon milk, 1.5 oz sugar, 1 teaspoon honey
• Add Dry Ingredients. Sift in flour, matcha powder, and baking powder; mix until fully incorporated.
  1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon matcha powder, 2 oz cake flour
• Incorporate Butter. Add the cooled, melted butter to the batter and stir until smooth.
  4 tablespoon butter
• Prepare Pan. Grease the madeleine molds with butter; dust with flour if not using a non-stick pan.
• Fill Molds. Pour the batter into the molds, filling them about 3/4 full.
• Bake. Place the pan in the oven, reduce the temperature to 360°F (180°C), and bake for 9-10 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the tops set.
• Cool. Let the madeleines cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing. Transfer to a cooling rack.
• Prep for Shells. Wash and dry the pan. Place a pastry bag inside a cup, folding the top of the bag over the rim of the cup.

Temper Chocolate:

• Prep. Chop chocolate into small pieces for even melting. No chopping needed if using couverture.
  5 oz white chocolate
• Set up double boiler. Place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water (not touching the bowl). Add 2/3 of the chocolate and lower heat to a minimum.
• Melt. Stir frequently until about 90% of the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and dry the bowl’s bottom.
• Seed and color. Stir until fully melted, then mix in matcha powder until the chocolate is green enough for your liking. Next, add 2/3 of the reserved chocolate. Stir until melted. Check the temperature and if above 95°F (35°C), add half of the leftover chocolate. Stir until melted and repeat with the other half if temperature still above 95°F (35°C).
  1/2 teaspoon matcha powder
• Cool to tempering range. Stir while cooling the chocolate in a cold water bath, then remove once it reaches between 79°F (26°C) and 81°F (27°C). Dry the bowl and stir.
• Warm to working range. Gently warm in a warm water bath or in a double boiler over low heat, stirring, until it reaches between 82°F (28°C) – 84°F (29°C). It's now ready to use.
• (Optional) Test. Dip a knife or offset spatula in the chocolate and chill for 2–3 minutes. If it sets glossy and firm, it’s tempered.

Make Chocolate Shells:

• Fill Pastry Bag. Pour tempered chocolate into a pastry bag. Cut a small tip (1/8 to 2/8 inch).
• Pipe & Press. Pipe a thin, even layer of chocolate into a single mold cavity. Start from the center and swirl outwards until you’ve coated the whole bottom. Grab a madeleine and gently press it (shell side down) into the chocolate. Push just enough so that the chocolate creeps up around the edges of the cookie. Repeat for all madeleines.
• Chill & Set. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, then freeze for 8-10 minutes for easy unmolding.
• Unmold. Tap the bottom or drop the pan onto a firm surface to release madeleines. Silicone molds should release easily.
• Serve. Enjoy immediately or let them sit for 30 minutes to come to room temperature.

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