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    Home » Recipes » Cookies

    Published: Jan 6, 2022 · Modified: Jul 14, 2022 by Pate Giltner 4 Comments

    French Orange Madeleines with Bourbon Glaze

    6988 shares
    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This is the easiest recipe for french orange madeleines! It all comes together in a food processor and makes the lightest sponge cake cookies with a hint of orange.

    The bourbon glaze is optional, but it adds a delicious kick to these french shell-shaped cookies. 

    French orange madeleines in a mold with cut oranges scattered.

    Why you will love this recipe: 

    Madeleines are one of my favortie induglences. They are little bites of genoise cake baked in pretty shell-shaped madeleine molds. 

    Genoise cake can be troublesome, but making it in a food processor makes the batter more stable and still gets a lot of air incorporated. I first saw this method in Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh's cookbook Sweet, and thought it was brilliant!

    Ingredients for orange madeleines tabled on table.

    Key ingredients:

    Butter: This recipe tastes very light and buttery, and butter is the best way is get that perfect buttery flavor!

    Eggs: Eggs are traditionally are the only rising agent in these cookies. This recipe gets a little help from baking powder, but a lot of the rise is still from whipping the eggs until enough air is incorporated. 

    Flour:  all-purpose flour is the binding agent, and there is enough to hold everything together. The goal is to have the lightest cookies ever, so just enough is added. 

    Orange: The zest from one whole orange gives them some of that sharp orange flavor. 

    Orange liqueur: A touch of orange liqueur like Grand Marnier or Cointreau adds a rich and smooth orange flavor. 

    Ingredients for French madeleines in a food processor.

    Step by step instructions:

    • Start by melting the butter and honey together on the stovetop or in the microwave. Then let it cool.
    • Mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla, orange zest, and liqueur into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse until combined. Next, add in the melted butter mixture and pulse until combined. 
    • Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge for one hour. 
    The batter for madeleines in a bowl ready to be chilled.
    • Grease a nonstick madeleine mold with butter and then generously cover with flour. Fill each of the molds ⅔ of the way with batter. 
    The batter for French madeleines in Madeleine mold.
    • Bake for 9-10 minutes and until the edges have browned.
    • Make the glaze by mixing together the powdered sugar and bourbon and drizzle over the cooled cookies.

    Tips for success:

    • Let the butter and honey cool before adding to the egg mixture.
    • If you don't have a food processor and blender works as well.
    • Don't skip the resting step; it makes all the difference. 
    • Use a nonstick madeleine pan if you can. If you can't, grease your mold very, very well. 
    • Generously coat the pan with butter and flour. These cookies can get stuck if the mold is not greased enough. 
    • If you don't want a bourbon glaze, mixing the powdered sugar with the juice from the orange is a delicious alternative.
    French orange madeleines in a mold with cut oranges scattered.

    FAQ's:

    How to store this recipe, and how long will it last?

    This recipe is best enjoyed the day it's made, but they cant keep unglazed in an air-tight container at room temp for 2-3 days.

    Can the batter be made in advance?

    Yes! the batter can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept in the fridge until you are ready to bake!

    How are madeleines different from cake?

    They are cake that is baked in small molds, which makes them bite-sized like a cookie.

    Are madeleines difficult?

    Not at all! This recipe is so easy to follow and requires minimal clean-up!

    Looking for more cookie recipes? Check these out!

    • Bourbon Caramel Cookies
    • Bourbon Shortbread Cookies
    • Sorghum Cookies
    • Earl Grey Madeleines
    Print
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    French orange madeleines in a mold with cut oranges scattered.

    Orange Madeleines with Bourbon Glaze

    ★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
    • Author: Pate Giltner
    • Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 10 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
    • Yield: 12 large madelines 1x
    • Category: dessert
    • Method: baking
    • Cuisine: French
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This is the easiest recipe for french orange madeleines! It all comes together in a food processor and makes the lightest sponge cake cookies with a hint of orange. The bourbon glaze is optional, but it adds a delicious kick to these french shell-shaped cookies. 


    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    For the madeleines:

    1. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
    2. 1 teaspoon honey
    3. 2 large eggs
    4. ⅓ cup + 1 tsp granulated sugar
    5. Seeds scraped from ¼ of a vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
    6. Zest from 1 orange
    7. 2 tsp orange liqueur like Grand Marnier or Cointreau
    8. ½ cup +1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    9. 1 tsp baking powder
    10. ⅛ tsp salt

    For the Glaze:

    1. ½ cup powdered sugar
    2. 2 tbsp bourbon

     


    Instructions

    1. Melt the butter and honey in a saucepan or microwave and set aside and allow it to come to room temperature. 
    2. Put the eggs, sugar, vanilla, orange zest, and liqueur into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and pulse until combined. Next, add in the melted butter mixture and mix again. 
    3. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest in the fridge for 1 hour. 
    4. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. 
    5. Grease a nonstick madeleine mold with butter and then generously cover with flour. Shake off excess flour. Fill each of the molds ⅔ of the way with batter. 
    6. Bake for 9-10 minutes and until the edges of the madeleines have browned.
    7. Let the madeleines cool for a few minutes, and then use a knife to remove them from their molds gently.

    For the glaze:

    1. Mix the powdered sugar and bourbon together with a fork and drizzle over cooled madeleines. 

    Notes

    • Let the butter and honey cool before adding to the egg mixture.
    • If you don't have a food processor and blender works as well.
    • Don't skip the resting step; it makes all the difference. 
    • Use a nonstick madeleine pan if you can. If you can't, grease your mold very, very well. 
    • Generously coat the pan with butter and flour. These cookies can get stuck if the mold is not greased enough. 
    • If you don't want a bourbon glaze, mixing the powdered sugar with the juice from the orange is a delicious alternative.

    Keywords: French orange madeleines

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag me @thegandmkitchen — I can't wait to see what you've made!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anonymous says

      January 06, 2022 at 8:40 pm

      .

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Carla Flott says

      January 06, 2022 at 9:27 pm

      Made these today. Ran out of bourbon. These are so good! Great recipe.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    3. Anonymous says

      May 08, 2022 at 11:47 am

      Made for Mother’s Day 2022 ❣️
      -made in blender.
      -VERY SPONGEY and soft
      -filled prepared mold in freezer prior to filling.
      Achieved the bump on back!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Pate Giltner says

        May 15, 2022 at 10:47 am

        Yay! I'm so glad you liked them! I hope you had a wonderful mothers day!

        Reply

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    Pate Giltner holding a cupcake
    Pate Giltner holding a cupcake

    About Pate

    Hi, I'm Pate, and welcome to The G&M Kitchen!

    The G&M Kitchen is a recipe blog that specializes in southern baked goods. Here you will find classics like buttermilk and honey biscuits and beautiful show stoppers like strawberry basil cupcakes. While all recipes are inspired by traditional southern classics, they all have a twist or adjustment that elevates them and brings them into the modern age.

    Learn more about me →

    As featured in: thefeedfeed, Sur La Table, Bake From Scratch, Foodtography School, The Bourbon Review, Bringing it Home

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