Turn classic French madeleines into decadent chocolate covered treats by adding one simple step to your baking process! These chocolate covered madeleines are a beautiful and scrumptious addition to a dessert platter, high tea, or as an after-dinner sweet indulgence.
Coating these madeleines in melted chocolate is an extra easy step and it is perfect for all chocolate lovers! Some more decadence that everyone will enjoy!
If you love baked chocolate treats, try Decadent Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Fudgy Chocolate Condensed Milk Brownies, or Chocolate Crème Brûlée.
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⭐ Why you will love this version of madeleines
- Easily adapt these chocolate-covered French Madeleines to suit your preferences.
- The chocolate coating on these madeleines provides a decadent twist!
- Prepare the batter or bake the cookies ahead of time.
- These beautiful chocolate-coated French madeleines are easy to make with pantry-staple ingredients!
🥣 Ingredients You’ll Need
These beautiful vanilla French cookies get a decadent twist with melted chocolate. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Eggs - Medium size or large eggs, brought to room temperature for better mixing into the dry ingredients.
- Sugar - Preferably white granulated sugar, although light brown sugar could be used too.
- Vanilla extract - Use good quality extract for the best flavor.
- Flour - All purpose flour is a good option. Bob’s Red Mill can be used for gluten-free madeleines.
- Butter - Unsalted butter and softened.
- Baking powder - Always check the expiry date of baking powder to ensure a good rise in your cookies.
- Chocolate - Dark or milk chocolate.
📖 Variations
Adapt these easy chocolate-covered French madeleines with simple ingredient swaps to cater to dietary and taste preferences:
- Flour - Use gluten-free flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill.
- Extract - Use almond extract or orange extract for a change in flavor. Rose water could also be used instead of vanilla extract like I’ve done in my French Madeleines With Rose Water recipe!
- Chocolate - Plain dark or milk chocolate can be replaced with flavored chocolate, such as orange chocolate. White chocolate can also be used for those who love extra sweetness! Confectioners sugar can be sprinkled over the French butter cakes instead of dipping them into chocolate.
- Add-in: Consider adding orange zest, lemon zest, or make chocolate chip madeleines with mini chocolate chips.
⏲️ Instructions
First, mix the eggs and sugar in a bowl until foamy (picture 1).
Then, sift the flour and baking powder into the wet ingredients (picture 2).
Tip: Sifting the flour will eliminate any lumps in the batter. Check that there are no lumps left before moving to the next step.
Next, mix in the melted butter and whisk well. Then add the vanilla extract (picture 3).
Preheat the oven while the batter chills in the fridge for 30 - 60 minutes (picture 4). This helps the batter to rise well and have a light and fluffy texture.
Pour one tablespoon of batter in each madeleine mold (see below) and bake at 420F for 6 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350F and bake for another 6 minutes. Remove the baked madeleines once golden brown and allow them to cool completely.
Tip: The bump on the madeleines is all about the thermic shock. Your madeleine batter needs to rest in the fridge while the oven pre-heats, you are then putting a cooled batter in a hot oven and then dropping the temperature.
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and wash the madeleine molds. Dunk the madeleine half way into the chocolate and allow to cool down on a parchemin paper.
💬 Recipe FAQs
Madeleines are traditional French cookies with a cake-like texture, baked in molds that are scalloped shell shaped.
These cookies are well-known for their humped backs and can be enjoyed with a classic vanilla flavor or adapted to include different flavors or a chocolate coating.
Chilling the batter is an important step when making madeleine cookies, ensuring a fluffy texture with good rise.
Avoid overfilling the madeleine pan molds, as this will cause the batter to overflow and the tops to level out instead of rising into a hump.
Lastly, and probably the most important factor, is to bake the madeleine cookies initially at a high temperature, followed by a lowered temperature. The initial hot temperature causes the hump to form, while the lowered temperature ensures the cookies are baked through.
These chocolate madeleines should last for 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature or for longer in the fridge. However, they taste their best freshly baked.
I recommend freezing the madeleines plain before coating them in chocolate as the chocolate coating can bloom in the freezer and leave streaky marks. Wrap the cooled madeleine cookies and store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw at room temperature and coat them with chocolate as directed in the recipe.
📖 Easy Chocolate Covered Madeleines
Equipment
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
- 4 eggs medium size
- 150 g sugar ¾ cup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g flour 1 cup
- 125 g butter, soften 1 stick
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the eggs and sugar until foamy.
- Sift the flour and baking powder and make sure there are no lumps.
- Incorporate the butter. Mix well. Add the vanilla extract.
- Allow the preparation to rest in the fridge for 30 min to an hour.
- Preheat the oven at 420F (or 220C).
- Put one tablespoon of the mixture in each madeleine mold and place in the oven at 420F (220C) for 6 minutes and drop the temperature to 350F (180C) and bake another 6 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and allow to cool.
- Melt the chocolate on the double boiler (also called bain-marie). Take 2 pots, one larger than the other, pour half a cup of water in the larger one. Place the smaller one in the larger one (in the water) and add the chocolate chips in the small pot. Turn on the heat and allow the chocolate to cool down.
- Pour the melted chocolate into a bowl and dunk the madeleines and place them on a parchemin paper to allow the chocolate to set.
Notes
- do not overlook the chilling steps and the temperature of the oven. The famous hump of the madeleines happens with the thermal shock.
- store 24 to 48 hours in an air-tight container but it is recommended to enjoy fresh.
- freeze plain and cover with chocolate once thawed out.
Nutrition
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating on the recipe card below & and a comment about your experience. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, thanks!
Laura @ Raise Your Garden says
These look absolutely fabulous. When away from home, I miss peanut butter, but not just any peanut butter. It has to be Peter Pan peanut butter!
Mélanie says
Thanks Laura! I discovered Peanut butter in Canada and ate wayyy too much of it :)
Our Fresh Kitchen says
this Madeleines look tender and so Fresh!! I think I have a task for Kim to make.
Mélanie says
So Kim is cooking and Hector is eating? :)
ceecee says
Lol I have 2 Madeline pans that I have never used! Now I will... thanks!
Mélanie says
Ceecee, no excuses now, give it a try!
Urbnspice says
I am French Canadian so these little cookies appeal to me as well!
Lovely recipe - thank you !
Sarah | (Cooking for) Kiwi & Bean says
These look beautiful! Whenever I leave home I miss the coffee. I don't care what anyone says, North Americans have coffee figured out. A glut of hipsters to thank for that :-).
Mélanie says
Mhhh Sarah, I would argue that one, have you ever been to Europe? Coffee is pretty amazing there, although you need to like strong expressos :)
everybodylovespretty says
These are really fabulous Melanie! I love your photos too - Light and airy just like your beautiful madelines!
Mélanie says
Thank you so much Candice!
Maugain says
Thank you !
Bénédicte
Donna Shelton says
I have never seen "set your oven at 405 F. Is that right or did you mean 450 F or 400 F. I really would like to try these, but I's like to set the temperature properly first time. Thanks, I can't wait to try these. I'm on my way to see my mom, we lived near Paris when I was young so I know she will love these.
Mélanie says
Hi Donna,
I am so very sorry I did not answer before! I left for France and took a break from computers... I did write 405F because in my notes, my recipe was in Celsius and I wanted to be accurate. I am sure 400F will work fine too since from one oven to another there are differences anyway.
Let me know how it turned out!
Melanie