These dipped, double Chocolate Madeleines have an impeccable chocolate glaze and tender chocolate cake/cookie. They are as perfect for dipping in your afternoon coffee as they are gifting to a loved one for the holidays.
Technically a small, sponge cake, madeleines are petite, hand-held desserts. They are recognized by the ridges left behind from baking in a shell-shaped mold.
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Due to their small shape and dunk-ability, they are sometime referred to as cookies. While plain or lemon madeleines are often served with tea, these chocolate madeleines are perfect with a cup of coffee.
I'm always tempted to buy these at the coffee shop check-out. Why not make your own, and tie them up in a clear treat bag to make an amazing edible gift!
Love chocolate? Try these Double Chocolate Chip Cookies!
Ingredients
- Large eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - use Dutch processed
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter - it will be melted so no need to take out ahead of time
- Dark Chocolate - 70% chocolate bar works best here
- Canola or coconut oil - see variations for how each sets the glaze differently
See recipe card for quantities.
Tools and Equipment
- Madeleine mold or mini cupcake tin
- Pastry brush
- Mesh seive
- Hand or stand mixer
- General kitchen utensils and tools (measuring spoons, mixing bowls, etc)
Instructions
First, you need to prepare the sponge cake batter. This type of cake batter begins by whipping eggs with sugar until the ribbon stage - about 8 minutes of whipping on high with the whisk attachment. At the ribbon stage, the batter should be thick and fall off the whisk slowly like a ribbon.
You know when you've reached the ribbon stage when you can lift the whisk out of the batter and draw a figure 8 that sits on top of the batter for a moment before melting back into the bowl.
Next, sift then fold in the dry ingredients taking care not to deflate the just whipped eggs. Pour in the butter slowly and fold to combine.
Chill the cake batter while you prepare the Madeleine pan, at least 30 minutes. Alternatively, the batter may be kept covered over night in the refrigerator.
Pan preparation is very important for madeleine success. Here's how:
Brush the pan thoroughly with melted butter.
Using a mesh sieve, lightly dust the pan with flour. Tap out the excess.
Next, pipe the chilled batter into the center of the prepared pan.
After baking, spoon melted chocolate into the cavity of the cleaned pan.
Use the back of the spoon to spread the melted chocolate into a thin layer coating the inside of the mold. Place the baked madeleine back in the chocolate-coated pan.
Chocolate Glaze
The tender chocolate cake of a madeleine is delicious, but it's the glaze for me. I mean, just look how shiny and beautiful!
To make the pristine glaze, add a thin layer of melted chocolate back into the cavities of the now cleaned madeleine pan. Place the baked madeleines in the chocolate glaze and tap down to secure.
Place the filled pan in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Once set, very carefully pop the chocolate-coated madeleines out of the pan. I used the edge of a small paring knife to press into one side of the little cake and they popped right out. Please be careful not to cut yourself!
A silicone mold would probably work best here.
Canola vs Coconut Oil Glaze
I made the chocolate glaze two different ways - one with a teaspoon of canola oil and the other with coconut oil. The canola oil gave a more matte finish but with less nicks and cracks. The coconut oil gave a tremendous amount of shine, but there were more little cracks in the finish, and I had a slightly tougher time popping out of the mold.
Please note that it may take a little bit of finesse and practice for the all of the madeleines to pop out perfectly.
Alternatively, dip the baked madeleines into the chocolate glaze and go!
Hint: While coating the pan, make sure the the chocolate glaze stays melted. Reheat as necessary.
Variations
- Canola Oil - the chocolate was a more matte but with less nicks
- Coconut Oil - the chocolate had a very shiny finish but was more prone to cracks
- Vanilla Chocolate - bake vanilla madeleines to dip in the chocolate glaze.
- Chocolate Dipped - for a quicker, yet delicious option, simply dip the ends of the baked madeleines in the melted chocolate.
Steps for Making Chocolate Madeleines
- First, make the madeleine batter - chill for at least 30 minutes (preferably 2 hours) or up to a day in advance.
- Next, prepare the pan - chill the pan in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
- Concurrently, preheat the oven
- Pipe the batter into the pan
- Bake!
- Spoon melted chocolate into the pan - press the madeleines back into their molds
- Chill to harden - no more than about 20 minutes in the freezer
- Lastly, pop out the madeleines and enjoy!
Storage
Serve madeleines the same day as they are made.
If you want them fresh in the morning and need to do some prep ahead of time, the batter can be made and stored in the refrigerator up to a day in advance.
That being said, store leftovers in an air-tight container for up to a week. They are still delicious dipped in coffee several days later.
Top Tips
Make sure to chill both the batter and the prepared pan. Allow at least 30 minutes (preferably 2 hours) for the batter to chill in the refrigerator before being baked in order to produce their signature "hump."
Properly whip the eggs and sugar long enough so that the batter falls off the whisk like a thick ribbon.
To keep from deflating, add the melted butter slowly into the batter.
The leftover batter is fine to stay in the refrigerator while the first batch bakes. Clean and prepare the pan again before baking off the rest of the batter.
Chocolate Madeleines FAQs
Technically, madeleines are small sponge cakes but they are often enjoyed hand-held like a cookie.
You can bake the madeleine batter in a mini cupcake pan. The result will be more similar to a tea cake than the iconic shell-shaped cake.
Yes. Wrap baked and cooled madeleines in plastic wrap them pop them into a freeze bag for up to about a month.
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Recipe
Chocolate Madeleines
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup +2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teas vanilla extract
- ¾ cup +1 tablespoon (100g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-processed
- ½ teas baking powder
- ¼ teas kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 200 grams dark chocolate chopped
- 1 teas coconut or canola oil
Instructions
- Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high until the batter is thick enough to hold a figure-8 before melting back into the batter (see notes). This will take 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt straight into the bowl. Use the whisk attachment to fold the ingredients together (by hand).
- Add in about half of the butter and stir to combine. Add in the remaining butter and fold together until combined.
- Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (preferably 2 hours) or up to one day.
- About 30 minutes before baking, brush the inside of a madeleine pan with melted butter. Light dust it with flour then tap out the excess. Place the prepared pan in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
- When ready, pipe the batter into the deepest part of the cavities of the prepared pan - about 2 tablespoons of batter each. Do not flatten the batter.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the madeleines spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean-ish. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes then tip the baked madeleines out onto a rimmed baking sheet.
- For the chocolate glaze, melted the chocolate with the oil of your choice (in the microwave or over a double-boiler).
- Clean the Madeleine pan, the spoon about a tablespoon of melted chocolate into each cavity. Use the back of the spoon to spread it out.
- Pop the baked madeleines back into the pan and press into the chocolate to coat.
- Freeze the chocolate madeleines for 15 to 20 minutes before carefully popping them out of the pan. Press the edge of a small knife or offset spatula into one side of the Madeleine and they should pop out.
- Serve madeleines the same day as they are made. Store leftovers in an air-tight container for up to a week.
Cindy P
OMG I had to bake these immediately because my grandmother used to make these at Christmas. They’re SO GOOD! I love dipping them in coffee!!!
Sam Lee
These are so easy to bake and delicious!
Cai W
SO GOOD. I baked some and brought them to the office. Gone in sixty seconds!
stylesweet
That's so great! Thank you. I am so glad you all enjoyed the recipe =)
Angela galati
Hi lovely these came out perfect ,except I couldn’t get them out of the tin after I out the chocolate ,would it be because I cleaned the tin after baking them which meant I wiped away all the butter residue left so the chocolate stuck to the tin?😬🤔🙄
Rosemary
The madeleines were delicious, but most of them came out with uneven, scraggly edges. Any idea why?
stylesweet
Hi! I am glad you liked the taste. Did you use the canola or coconut oil in the chocolate? I found more consistency with the canola oil but the coconut oil what shinier.
Connor
I had to bake a second batch because I ate too many of the first batch and didn’t have enough to share 😉
Jane
Just like my papa used to make!
Kelli
okay so they were a little tricky at first to get out with the chocolate but so pretty. and they taste really good!