Lemon Thyme Madeleines
May 9, 2015
The Madeleine aficionado looks for the famous hump, crunchy shell and a moist center. This recipe reveals the secrets to creating a perfect madeleine with lots of lemon and thyme — a cookie that you’ll want to dunk in tea or milk. For an excellent discussion and tutorial on this process, please see Joe Pastry.
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Ingredients
Makes 24 madeleines
- 1 cup 43 grams 1.5 ounces finely ground bread crumbs to dust the mold
- 1 stick 127 grams 4.50 ounces unsalted butter, melted and cooled, but still fluid
- 3 large eggs 150 grams (3 large) 1.75 ounces (3 large) eggs, at room temperature or slightly warmed
- 1 large 14 grams (1 large) .5 ounce (1 large) egg yolk
- 2/3 cup 120 grams 4.25 ounces golden caster sugar or white granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups 173 grams 6.10 ounce all-purpose bleached flour
- 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil (optional)
- 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, leaves only, roughly chopped
Instructions
MISE EN PLACE FOR THE MADELEINES
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Using softened butter, either with your finger or a brush, thoroughly spread it into the molds and dust them with finely ground bread crumbs.
- Place you madeleine mold(s) in the fridge.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.
- Zest the lemon and prepare the thyme leaves, and set aside. Cover in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Click here to read more about zesting citrus.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl of a stand mixer.
- Measure the sugar and salt into another bowl. Resist the urge to combine the egg and sugar prematurely because the sugar will cause the egg to coagulate.
- Melt butter gently. Cool it, keeping it liquid.
MAKE THE MADELEINE BATTER
- Add the sugar to the eggs and beat on high speed with a paddle until the eggs are pale in color, and very, very thick—about 5-10 minutes.
- Sift and fold the flour and baking powder with a Flat Whisk until almost incorporated.
- Add thyme and lemon.
- Gradually add in the cooled butter
- If you don’t want the classic hump, bake the madeleines immediately. If you want the hump, chill the batter in the fridge for an hour or so.
- When you are ready to bake, fill the cold mold ¾ full and resist the urge to fill completely.
- Note on filling the mold: Only fill the mold ¾ full and resist the urge to add more batter.
- The high heat in the oven will cause the batter to expand and fill up the mold.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes in a 425ºF degree oven, until the tops are brown and they spring back when pressed lightly.
- Unmold immediately.
- Tags
- Lemon,
- Madeleines,
- Thyme
