Browned Butter Madeleines with Pecans

Browned Butter Madeleines with Pecans: this recipe uses browned butter, chopped pecans, and brown sugar for the perfect nutty flavor.

Madeleines are the loveliest little cake like cookie.  Classic madeleines are  perfect with a cup of tea.  And with the addition of browned butter, brown sugar, and pecans these seem just right for fall.  The browned butter adds to the nuttiness and creates a depth of flavor, and the pecans are the perfect little crunch.

For our recent Fall Tea Party we thought it would be nice to include some Browned Butter Madeleines with Pecans -read all about the fall tea party here.

Madeleines

My youngest daughter, who loves to bake, is named Madeline.  I remember buying Madeleines for the get together after her baby dedication.  They just seem like the perfect cookie for her.

Recently when we were doing a little shopping on vacation we found a nonstick madeleine pan at a little kitchen shop and decided we should buy it and try out some Madeleine recipes.  I say we, but it was really Maddie.  She read up all about them, and started experimenting. 

She developed this madeleine recipe herself and made these, and they are so delicious.  When they are fresh they have the perfect slightly crunchy outside, and soft inside.  They're not overly sweet, and the pecans add a great flavour and little bit of crunch -perfect for fall.  A Madeleine and an afternoon tea is a match made in heaven.  They're the perfect treat when you want something small.

Madeleines are originally from France.  They are a very small sponge cake baked in a distinctive shell type shaped madeleine molds.  The perfect madeleine sponge cakes are soft on the inside, with crisp edges.

Browned Butter

We love using browned butter in baking because it adds such great flavor.  Browning the butter makes gives it a nutty flavor, and depth of flavor including caramel notes, and toasty flavors.  Using browned butter in baking adds all the goodness of butter, and a little bit more.  It's a great way to elevate almost any recipe.  These brown butter madeleines are full of brown butter flavor and so delicious.  A traditional madeleine uses regular butter, but this version of the tiny cakes is even better.

As the butter heats up, the water in it evaporates.  Next the milk solids in the butter darken and the brown bits fall to the bottom of the pan and it realizes a nutty aroma.  This is browned butter and at this stage you're ready to remove from the heat and let the browned butter cool.

Pecans

We've added some chopped pecans to our madeleines.  Traditional madeleines are vanilla flavor.  They are also often flavored with lemon juice and zest.  But there are lots of other variations also.  Because it's such a plain little cake, it's fun to play around with your favorite flavorings.  They are often made with ground almonds, so using a different nut wasn't much of a stretch.  The pecan flavor pairs so perfectly with the nuttiness of the browned butter.  It also gives a really pleasant tiny crunch to the madeleines.

We baked out madeleines in batches.  Make sure to wipe out the madeleine pan and respray with nonstick cooking spray before cooking the second batch.  While the madeleines are on the cooling rack we like to give them just a little sprinkle of icing sugar.  The white looks so pretty on the golden brown color of the madeleine cake, and adds a little bit more sweetness.

Storage 

For best results your freshly baked madeleines are best eaten the day you bake them.  When they're fresh you have the characteristic soft centers to the French butter cakes, with crispy edges on the outside.  But if you do have leftovers you can store them to the next day in a airtight container at room temperature.

These are sure a favourite at our house, and I hope you like them too.  They're the perfect dessert when you want something a little sweet with tea or coffee.

Recipe

Browned Butter Madeleines With Pecans

Not too sweet cake like cookies, with crunchy pecans.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes minutes

Total Time: 29 minutes minutes

Servings: 24

Calories: 120kcal

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup butter
• ▢ ⅓ cup white sugar
• ▢ ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ▢ I cup all purpose flour
• ▢ ⅔ chopped pecans
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ cup confectioner's sugar for dusting

Instructions

• Add butter to a heavy saucepan, and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until the butter foams, turns clear, and then medium brown. Pour the browned butter into a glass measuring cup and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• In a medium bowl combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, pecans, and baking soda. Set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl combine eggs, and vanilla and whisk until frothy, about 1 minute.
• Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Add the cooled brown butter and stir until just combined, without over mixing. Cover the bowl and let the madeleine batter rest in the fridge for an hour, or upto overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a madeleine tin with cooking spray. Fill the molds with a generous tablespoon of batter. Bake about 14 minutes, until the madeleines are puffed and golden, and spring back from the edges when touched. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 47mg | Sugar: 10g

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With homemade brown butter madeleines with pecans, life really is a party!

More Recipe Inspiration 

You might also enjoy our Pumpkin Bread Pudding Recipe here.

Also check our our Pumpkin Blondies here.

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