What are madeleines?

Made famous by Marcel Proust in his novel 'Remembrance of Things Past' in which he wrote: "She sent out for one of those short, plump little cakes called 'petites madeleines', which look as though they had been moulded in the fluted scallop of a pilgrim's shell....... An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses...."

Madeleines are made with a combination of butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and are traditionally flavored with lemon or orange flower water. It is really a genoise batter that is poured into special oval shaped molds with ribbed indentations that gives them their classic shell shape. These small petit fours sec are often times dipped in tea or coffee.

Dating back to the 18th century in the French town of Commercy, in the region of Lorraine, the story goes that a girl name Madeleine made them for Stanislaw Lezczynski, Duke of Lorraine, who loved them and subsequently gave some to his daughter, Marie, the wife of Louis XV.

In England they are small sponge cakes with different flavour preserves.

Apricot is the most famous.

One of the little girls that stood in two straight lines.

theyre these things, quite tasty :D

Madeleines are small French cakes, traditionally baked in shell shaped molds and eaten like cookies.Typically, madeleines are dipped in tea. This is especially true with old and slightly stale madeleines, which are ideally suited for dipping. Some people also use the cookies as a base for tiramisu.

To make Madeleine, melt one half cup of unsalted butter and set it aside to cool. Sift together one cup of flour, one half teaspoon baking powder, and one eighth teaspoon salt. In a separate bowl, beat three large eggs together with two thirds of a cup of sugar until the mixture turns pale. Fold the flour into the eggs, being careful not to over combine as this can cause the batter to collapse. Next, add a small amount of the egg mixture to the melted butter before folding the butter into the batter in three segments.

Ladle the batter into a buttered and floured Madeleine pan, and bake for around 12 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). The Madeleine should be golden and slightly springy, and be careful not to overcook, as they do not taste pleasant when they dry out. Remove the pan from the oven, rap it against a counter to knock the cakes loose, and turn them out onto racks to cool. Allow the Madeleine to cool completely before storing them