Chocolate-Coated Madeleines

These chocolate-coated madeleines are rich with cocoa on the inside, with a smooth shell of melted chocolate on the outside. Go for a good-quality couverture chocolate if you can. It melts beautifully and gives you that clean, glossy finish. They’re at their best fresh out of the tin, but they’ll still taste brilliant for a couple of days if you keep them in an airtight container. Perfect for sharing with friends, wrapping up as a gift, or enjoying with a cup of coffee.

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Melt the butter gently and set it aside to cool. Grease your madeleine pan well with butter and dust lightly with flour or cocoa.

Step 2

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

Step 3

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and caster sugar until pale and thick. This takes about 3 to 4 minutes by hand or 2 minutes with an electric whisk. Stir in the vanilla.

Step 4

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture in two parts. Once combined, pour in the cooled melted butter and fold until the batter is smooth. Do not overmix.

Step 5

Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Chilling helps create that signature rise.

Step 6

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Spoon the chilled batter into the prepared madeleine molds, filling each about three-quarters full.

Step 7

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the madeleines have risen with a slight dome and spring back lightly when touched. Let them cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 8

Clean the madeleine pan and make sure it's completely dry. Melt the chocolate gently in a bowl over simmering water or in short bursts in the microwave. Spoon about a teaspoon of melted chocolate into each mold and press each madeleine back into the mold, shell-side down. Chill for 15 to 20 minutes until the chocolate is set, then gently pop them out.