Chocolate Madeleines - Live to Sweet (2024)

Since Halloween is coming up, I wanted to make something DEEP, DARK chocolate. I think these Chocolate Madeleines fit the bill nicely!

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These Chocolate Madeleines are tender little cakes, and are super chocolatey thanks to dark chocolate and black cocoa powder! Because there's no such thing as too much chocolate, I went ahead and dipped them in MORE dark chocolate!

If you enjoy this recipe, check out the posts for my Death by Chocolate Cupcakes, Chocolate Ganache Cake, and Gingerbread Madeleines!

Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter - For moisture and richness. Unsalted so that you control the amount of salt in the recipe.
• Bittersweet Chocolate - For flavor. I used bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate because I wanted the madeleines to be as dark and deeply flavored as possible.
• Powdered Sugar - For sweetness and keeping the madeleines soft and moist.
• Flour - To provide structure to the madeleines. I used all-purpose flour.
• Black Cocoa Powder - Using black cocoa powder gives you that deep, dark chocolate color and flavor. It's not an ingredient that's easy to find, but you can buy it here. You can substitute with dutch-process cocoa, the madeleines just won't be as dark in color.
• Salt - To balance and enhance the flavor of the madeleines.
• Egg Whites - Provides structure for the madeleines. You want your egg whites to be at room temperature.
• Chocolate Extract - For flavor. Chocolate extract lends a delicious depth of flavor to chocolate baked goods! If you can't find it in your local grocery store, you can find some here. Even better, make yourself some Homemade Chocolate Extract for next time!

Tip: If you're concerned about having leftover egg yolks, check out my post 15+ Recipes Using Yolks! The post gives tips on saving them for later (you can freeze them!) and >15 recipes to use them in!

Instructions

Madeleines are refined and elegant...but that doesn't mean that they're hard to make! Just follow these simple steps and you'll be impressing your family and friends with madeleines in no time! (Ingredient amounts and more detailed instructions are included in the recipe card below!)

• Combine butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Microwave until smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.
• Sift dry ingredients together and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk egg whites and chocolate extract until frothy. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
• Add the melted chocolate mixture and stir with a spatula just until combined.
• Portion batter into the pan. I used my medium cookie scoop for each madeleine. Once portioned, place the pan and the bowl with the remaining batter in the refrigerator and chill for one hour.
• After chilling, bake madeleines for about 12 minutes. Cool in the pan for 1-2 minutes, then turn the madeleines out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Since the remaining batter was already refrigerated, there is no need to chill the batter in the pan after portioning the next batch. Just be sure to keep any unused batter in the refrigerator so you don't have to wait another hour. For best results, chill the pan between batches!
• If desired, dip each cooled madeleine in melted chocolate or drizzle the chocolate over the top. If you'd like to add sprinkles, add them before the chocolate sets so that they will stick.

Hint: Chilling the batter before use helps the madeleines hold their beautiful shell-like shape, and to get their signature "bump" on the back!

Substitutions

Instead of Black Cocoa - Black cocoa will give you the deepest flavor and the darkest color. If you don't have it on-hand or prefer not to buy it, you can use dark (dutch process) cocoa instead.

Instead of Chocolate Extract - If you don't have/don't want to use chocolate extract in the recipe, you can either omit it entirely, or substitute it with an equal measure of vanilla extract.

Equipment

Madeleine Pan - You can't make those adorable madeleines without one! This is the one that I use here. It's a standard size madeleine pan. If you choose to make mini madeleines you'll need to reduce the baking time.

Cookie Scoop - I use my medium (1.5 Tablespoons) cookie scoop to portion out the batter. It's definitely not a necessity, but it does help you to keep them more uniform in size and to keep your hands clean.

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Storage

Madeleines are best the day they're baked, but will keep in an airtight container on your counter for about two days.

Madeleines can also be frozen (*before* being dipped in chocolate)! Just cool completely after baking, wrap well, and freeze for up to two months! Thaw them out when you need them and then dip them in chocolate before serving.

FAQ

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