Gluten-free madeleines get big flavor from brown butter, vanilla, and almond flour. They may look fancy, but they're actually super simple to make in about 40 minutes. Enjoy them dusted with powdered sugar, dipped in chocolate, or flavored with lemon zest and glazed.
Prep Time: 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 10 minutesminutes
Total: 40 minutesminutes
Servings: 20cookies
Ingredients
Brown Butter
10tablespoons(140 g) unsalted butter (82% butterfat or higher), plus 1–2 tablespoons very soft butter or ghee for the pan
For Glazed Lemon Madeleines (see note for instructions)
1cuppowdered sugar
1large(or 2 small) lemons(Meyers if you've got 'em!)
For Chocolate-Dipped Madeleines (see note for instructions)
6ouncesbittersweet chocolate, melted and tempered
Instructions
Prepare Things
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375ºF (190ºC).
Use a pastry brush to coat the molds of a madeleine pan generously with the soft butter or ghee, making sure to get into all the crevices so they don't stick.
Brown the Butter
In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the 10 tablespoons butter with the vanilla pod and scrapings over medium heat, swirling occasionally.
After 3–5 minutes, the butter will foam up, then turn golden and smell nutty with deep brown specks on the bottom of the pot. Watch it closely at this point so it doesn’t burn, reducing the heat if need be.
When the butter has browned, pour it into a heatproof container to stop the cooking and let it cool slightly, 10-20 minutes.
Make the Batter
In a medium bowl, sift together the almond, oat, sweet rice, and tapioca flours with the baking powder and salt.
Place the sugar in a large bowl and whisk in the eggs one at a time until combined.
Whisk in the cooled brown butter until smooth, then stir in the dry ingredients to form a thick batter.
Bake
Fill the molds three-quarters full with the batter. You can use a scant scoop from a #40 spring-loaded scoop, or a teaspoon, or a piping bag fitted with a large, plain tip. If the batter has firmed up or been chilled, use moistened fingers to flatten out the batter.
Bake the madeleines until the edges are golden and the humps are just shy of springing back to the touch, 6-8 minutes. They’ll finish cooking from residual heat.
Let cool slightly, then carefully loosen from their molds (a small offset spatula can help) and place, pretty side up, on a rack to cool.
When the madeleine pan has cooled, wipe it clean and repeat the buttering/battering/baking process to make the rest of the cookies.
Serve warm, dusted with a little powdered sugar, or let cool completely and dip half of each cookie in tempered chocolate (see notes).
The madeleines are best eaten shortly after baking, but they will keep in a container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
The cavities in my madeleine pan measure 2x3 inches. I use Bob's Red Mill flours here. See below for substitution suggestions for the individual flours. If you prefer, you can use any all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of some or all of the flours by weight.*Vanilla bean: Can sub ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or paste added with the eggs**Almond flour: Can sub by weight almond meal, hazelnut flour, or millet, sorghum, or tiger nut flour for nut-free***Oat flour: Can sub by weight sorghum, buckwheat, teff, or chestnut flour****Sweet rice flour: Can sub by weight GF all-purpose flour such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1, or cassava flour*****Tapioca flour: Can sub by weight arrowroot or corn starch******Sugar: Can sub by weight maple sugar or coconut sugar (about 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon by volume)Lemon Madeleines: Meyer lemons are especially lovely here! Rub the finely grated zest from 1 large or two small lemons into the sugar before adding the eggs. Make a glaze by whisking together 1 cup (110 g) powdered sugar, sifted, and 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice until a dippable glaze forms. Dip the tops of the madeleines in the glaze, letting excess glaze drip off, then place on a wire rack until dry.Chocolate-Dipped Madeleines: Melt 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of barely steaming water. If you like, you can temper the chocolate (see method here.) Dip half of each madeleine in the melted chocolate. Make-Ahead Options:
The brown butter can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 week.
The batter can also be made up to 1 week ahead and chilled.
To bake madeleines from chilled dough, scoop into the pans and use moistened fingers to flatten the batter in the pan.
Extra madeleines (not dipped in chocolate or glazed) can be frozen for up to 1 month. Rewarm in a 350ºF oven or toaster oven until heated through.
Leftover madeleines can become madeleine shortcake by topping reheated madeleines with a dollop of whipped cream and berries macerated in a little sugar or honey. Yum!