Vanilla Bean Madeleines
Delicate little cakes scented with lemon zest and vanilla bean. Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.
Today we’re flying to Seattle to attend the funeral of a very dear loved one. To say I’m having a bad week is putting it mildly. So I’m going to keep it short and simple and leave you with the recipe for these vanilla bean madeleines.
Madeleines are heavenly cake-like cookies that are as perfect with a cup of coffee or tea as they are by themselves. They aren’t difficult to make, as long as you have the specific shell-shaped pan. If you’re like me and don’t want to buy yet another item to put in your kitchen, try to find a friend who will you let your borrow theirs. My sister-in-law was kind enough to let me borrow her madeleine pan and I’ve enjoyed making this recipe several times.
baking tip:How to remove vanilla beans
Place a vanilla bean on a cutting board. Use a paring knife to slice open the vanilla bean lengthwise, then use your knife to scrape the seeds from inside the pods.
Don’t discard the pods, as they have a lot of vanilla flavor. Use them to make your own vanilla extract, some vanilla sugar, or simply steep them in your coffee or hot cocoa.
Vanilla Bean Madeleines
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour (83 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled (85 grams)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate small bowl, combine the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla beans. Use your fingers to rub the zest and beans into the sugar, releasing their aromatic oils.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar mixture with the eggs on medium high speed until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Use a spatula to fold in the melted butter, and then the flour.
- Cover and refrigerate batter for 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400°F and grease and flour a madeleine pan.
- Fill the shells of the madeleine pan with the chilled batter almost full. Bake until centers are puffed and edges are golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan, then pop out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Madeleines are best the day they are made, but may be stored for up to 2 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Where do you find vanilla beans?
I’m not sure about the difference in quality since I’ve never been able to bring myself to buy the expensive ones from the spice places ($4 per bean? Seriously?), but you can buy them in bulk on Ebay for cheap. I get them that way and use them in all kinds of things without worrying about the cost.
Great tip! I usually buy mine from amazon for somewhere around $0.75-1.00 per bean. Much more affordable than what you can find at the grocery store!
I hope your week gets better and im sorry for your loss. These cookies look delicious.
Oh, I’m sorry. I hope you’ll be okay soon.
these look great as I love these cookies as not too sweet and very light and airy
I use a vanilla bean paste in my baking from Neilsen Massey which is wonderful and I don’t have to worry about the bean going bad or not being fresh. Sorry for your bad week but hopefully things will be brighter very soon for you. Take care and love your website.
Using vanilla bean paste is a great idea, I’m going to have to try that sometime!
Sorry to hear about your loss Annalise. xo
Thank you, Chelsea!! 🙂
I am so sorry to hear about your loss. I send my deepest wishes and prayers your way. These madeleines look beautiful, as always! <3 Stay strong, Erica
Thank you Erica! 🙂
I’m so sorry for your loss! I hope next week is better for you. These madeleines are beautiful!
Thanks Sues! It’s always hard to say goodbye, and yes this week is going much better. 🙂
So sorry for your loss. I just inherited an old Madeleine tin and wanted a recipe. I will be trying it soon. Thank you
Lucky! Enjoy your new-to-you madeleine pan!
I used your recipe to make Madeleines and they were wonderful and no where near as difficult as i thought they’d be. Thank you.
praying for you and your loss.
here’s a WONDERFUL site for vanilla beans. i’ve ordered from them and HIGHLY recommend them! FAST delivery – high quality for GREAT PRICES!
http://www.beanilla.com
forgot to mention that i also LOVE your blog – your recipes and everything about your website! 🙂
i almost feel/sound like a stalker to myself! lol!
hope your week is better too. 😉
Very sorry to hear of your loss, stay strong, things become easier with time.
Can you substitute Vanilla Bean Paste for the vanilla pod?
BTW, I love the plates in the photo.
Absolutely!
Can you leave it in the refrigerator for longer than 3 hours? Would it compromise the batter?