Madeleines may have found their place in history thanks to Proust, but these buttery scalloped cakes are undoubtedly delicious enough to stand on their own, literary references aside. I’ve loved them for years, and can’t believe I actually had to purchase a madeleine pan to make these at home for the first time ever. The pop-up lingerie party we featured last month was the perfect excuse to make something this girly and feminine. Madeleines are definitely best eaten straight out of the oven — their crispy edges give way to a sponge-y cake, and we took these to the next level by adding finely chopped pistachios and dried lavender to the batter and a simple lemon glaze to the exterior. Make them for your honey this weekend, or your friends for Easter, or your mama for Mother’s Day… just do yourself a favor and go buy yourself a madeleine pan so you can give these simple shell-shaped beauties a whirl! Keep reading for the recipe.
Lavender Pistachio Madeleines
Serves 24
Lavender Pistachio Madeleines
Categories
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cake flour, plus more for dusting the pan
- 1 tsp lavender, flowers only (stems and leaves removed)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1/4 cup chopped toasted pistachios
- 2 cups powered sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Into a small bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Once sifted, sort the dried lavender to remove any leaves or stems (so that only the purple flower buds will remain). Add to sifted mix and and set aside.
- In a medium bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until the mixture is very light and almost doubled in volume, about 5 minutes.
- Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the flour mixture and the melted butter into the egg mixture until just combined. Gently mix in the chopped pistachios. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. In our most recent batch, we let the madeleines refrigerate for about 2 hours.
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Grease a madeleine pan with the remaining melted butter and dust pan with flour, brushing off any excess.
- Using a small spoon, add batter into the prepared pan, filling each mold about three-quarters full. Do not add too much to the moldings and do not smooth out the batter. Bake until the madeleines are puffed up and the edges have just started to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Quickly turn out the madeleines onto a wire rack and allow to cool. Wipe out the pan then continue preparing, filling, and baking the pan until all the batter has been used. After allowing the madeleines to slightly cool, prepare the Lemon Glaze (optional). These madeleines are best served warm or at room temperature the same day they are made.
- To make the glaze, sift the powered sugar into a small bowl. Add lemon juice gradually, using a whisk. Continue to stir until glaze is smooth. Once madeleines have cooled, simply dip the upper diagonal of each into the glaze and set aside until glaze has set. Enjoy!
I love madeleines and this recipe sounds so good! I’ve never made them myself though, so I guess I’ll have to buy a pan. Can’t wait to try!
omg. need to make these!
Could we know what dress the model is wearing holding the cookie plate? It’s gorgeous!
Those look so good and so pretty! Perfect for Mother’s day.