Buying yourself a madeleine pan is worth it, especially for making Chocolate Madeleines like this one. Dipping in chocolate makes it even yummier!
If you’ve never met Chocolate Madeleines before, then I suggest you get acquainted. These little cakes are as pretty as they are delicious, and having one is a good way to have your cake if you’re watching your portions. Granted, you keep the other madeleines out of sight haha!
As if it wasn’t enough that the madeleines are a pretty chocolatey seashell, that shiny coat of hardened chocolate makes it ten times more tempting somehow. Or maybe it’s just that the eating mood is harder to resist around this season. It would be terrible of me to tell you to resist, especially when it comes to these Chocolate Madeleines.
This recipe is actually pretty easy to make. Perhaps the only thing that could delay you from making these for the holidays is if you have a difficult time finding madeleine pans. I remember when I first discovered madeleines and wanted so badly to make them but could not find the pan anywhere. Now I see it quite often– usually in specialty baking stores, but occasionally in department stores too.
The brand I use is Chicago Metallic, and to be honest I really love everything I’ve bought from this brand so far. The price is more expensive than generic pans but the quality is totally worth it.
I have a lot of baking pans in my possession, but the madeleine pan is definitely one of my favorites. How could you not love that seashell pastry? Even though I haven’t used this pan a lot (not for a lack of wanting to, believe me), I will never regret purchasing it. I would very much like to perfect this cakelet, but what I did when I made these Chocolate Madeleines surely did not help.
I actually almost ended up not posting about this recipe from Broma Bakery, but it was too good to pass up! So here I am telling you: please don’t make the same mistakes I did when you bake this!
First thing I did wrong was overfill my pans. There was a voice in my head telling me that it would only end up in a hot mess, but I shut that voice down and filled the pans to the brim. BIG MISTAKE. The cake overflowed to the sides as it rose!
Second thing I did wrong was forget to pop the batter into the freezer before baking. I think that might have been the reason for my madeleines not to have that iconic bump on its backside, at least not as obvious as it should be when I see photos of the “perfect” madeleine.
Because of the mould, these Chocolate Madeleines stayed pretty despite my failings. Thankfully. I just sliced off the excess portions from the sides and somehow everything worked out. Who would care about the physical imperfections after they get a bite of this though? I’m not joking when I say these are fantastic.
These Chocolate Madeleines have great chocolate flavor thanks to the presence of both cocoa powder and melted chocolate. It’s also not too sweet, and really just a pleasure to bite into. I highly recommend baking these madeleines for 8 minutes for best texture.
I don’t know if any of you are planning any special homemade goodies for Noche Buena or Media Noche, but these are a different and elegant dessert option. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like chocolate cake, especially when it looks and tastes as good as this one. These delightful Chocolate Madeleines have a hard springy shell on the outside, but a lovely crumb inside.
The chocolate half-glaze and the pistachios are totally optional but add pizzaz. If there’s any moment that’s best for pizzaz it’s Christmas. If you ask me, I wouldn’t skip the ganache. Maybe the pistachios if you really must, but not the glaze.
Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Madeleines
Makes about 16 madeleines
Ingredients
For the madeleines
- 2 Tablespoons butter, for greasing pan
- ½ cup 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons high-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 114 grams 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
For the ganache topping
- 255 grams 9 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped pistachio, for sprinkling
Instructions
Make the madeleines
- 1. Preheat oven to 360°F (182°C). Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter for greasing the pan. Generously brush the wells of the madeleine pan with butter, then place the pan in the freezer. After a few minutes and the butter has hardened, brush with another layer of butter. Leave the pan in the freezer to chill until ready to use. (This step helps the madeleines pop right out.)
- 2. In a large bowl, beat the 8 tablespoons of butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes or so. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is fully incorporated before adding another. Add the vanilla and salt, then mix until combined. (You can also use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.)
- 3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. In three additions, add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and combine with a spatula just until all the flour is incorporated. (If using a stand mixer, make sure to mix on low speed.)
- 4. In a double boiler, melt the chopped bittersweet chocolate and let cool slightly. Using the spatula, fold the melted chocolate into the batter just until incorporated. (If using a stand mixer, switch to a spatula for this step.)
- 5. Remove the cold buttered pan from the freezer and spoon enough batter into each shell just until almost filled. There should be room for the batter to fill the shell as it bakes. (Do not overfill like I did or the shells will lose their shape!) Smooth the tops. Place the filled mold back into the freezer until batter is chilled, about 15 minutes.*
- 6. Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until risen and just set. Remove from the oven and flip cookies out onto a wire rack to cool.
To finish
- 7. Using the double boiler method, melt the chocolate over medium low heat. Dip each cooled madeleine halfway into the chocolate, then return to the wire rack. Sprinkle with pistachios and allow the chocolate to harden completely at room temperature.
Notes
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