Art of making delicate French butter cookies (Madeleines)
I love making Madeleine cookies, but I can't seem to make them without burning them. Well, they're not really burnt as far as cookies go, but they are too golden brown and have a slight crisp that Madeleines shouldn't have.
Baked for 14 minutes.
I've shortening my baking time to 10 minutes (4 minutes shorter than my recipe states), but they still are coming up a little too brown. (At 375 in a gas oven)
Baked for 10 minutes.
I'm afraid to shorten it too much because I don't want them to come out raw and mushy.
Any ideas how I can make my cookies softer, but still fully baked through?
Best Answer
If they're cooking too fast that they're browning and fully cooked through after 10 minutes instead of the recommended 14... that's probably a signal that you should turn the oven temperature down.
If you don't already have an oven thermometer, get one. It's possible for ovens' internal thermostat to be significantly off - by 50 degrees or more at times. Rather than depending on it, you will be better served by having a thermometer. These are generally inexpensive and can be found at most kitchen stores or on the web.
If you find that your thermostat is off, look into how to reset it, or learn the offset and add/subtract that amount from the dial temperature. If it's not off, try dropping the temperature by 25 F to start. The recommended oven temp seems to vary based on the recipe... from between 350 to 400 F. One thing that the 400 F recipe does is they place a cookie sheet under the madeleine pan, which may protect the underside somewhat.
Another possibility - you don't show your madeleine pans but to reduce browning, it's generally recommended to use very light colored pans. From Serious Eats:
If you want foods to brown on the bottom, reach for a darker metal sheet pan because dark pans will absorb more heat and therefore more heat will radiate off the surface. I like to use dark pans when I'm baking pizza or crispy-edged potato wedges and roasted veggies that I want to brown. Recently, I've even started baking pies in dark metal pie plates instead of glass so the bottom of the pie crust heats up more and browns.
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Why are my madeleines dark?
Dark pans heat up faster and more than light colored pans and you might find that your madeleines brown too quickly. If that's the case, try lowering the temperature a little and baking for less time. I'm using a dark colored pan myself. At the other end are silicone pans, which usually yield a pale color.What is the best flour for madeleines?
Cake flour is the best for this recipe. If you use all purpose flour, the madeleines will not be as tender. If you don't have cake flour on hand, measure out one cup of all purpose flour and take out 2 Tablespoons of the flour.Why are my madeleines flat?
Flat madeleines are often a result of using the wrong ingredients. The baking powder is a crucial element of the madeleine recipe because it contributes to forming a pretty bump on top of the madeleines.How do you keep madeleines crispy?
Adjusting the last baking minutes is essential to prevent madeleines from burning. Bake cakes on a baking rack in the middle of the oven and not on a baking sheet. Bake one batch of madeleines (one mold) at a time.How to Make Madeleines
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Answer 2
With some trial and error (and a ton of batter!) I figured out a solution. I lowered my oven temp to 360 (in response to the previous answer, yes, I have an oven thermometer and my cookie pan is dark) and baked for 8 minutes. The center is still completely baked through and they are a lovely light golden color.
They're not perfectly white on both sides like the kind I find at the counter at Starbucks! LOL!
But they look and taste delicious and are perfect for dunking in tea! I feel French already ;)
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Jill Burrow, Marta Dzedyshko, Alexas Fotos, Jill Wellington