Madeleines are a traditional French sweet, baked in a special pan that gives them their familiar shell shape. Their texture is like a very dense sponge cake. While the traditional madeleine is citrus flavored, this updated recipe is spiced with ground nutmeg and cinnamon and flavored with almond extract. Madeleine pans are inexpensive and can be easily obtained online or in your local kitchenware store.*
Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- Spray madeleine molds with non-stick spray.
- In the top of a double boiler over hot (but not boiling!) water, heat eggs and sugar stirring constantly; whipping in as much air as possible. Remove from heat, let cool.
- Stir in flour, then add remaining ingredients.
- Fill madeleine molds with a generous amount of batter, but don’t spread it out.
- Bake until lightly browned, approximately 15 minutes. Cool one minute, then remove to racks to cool completely.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar or dip in chocolate.
Notes
- * Madeleine molds or pans are easy to find at your local baking store (please shop local!) or you can get one easily on Amazon. You can also get beautiful vintage and antique madeleine pans at Etsy.