Lemon Madeleine Cookies

This recipe for lemon madeleines uses lemon in both the cookies and the glaze, taking this dessert to the next level. They are a chewy and delicious cake-like cookie. They are a pillowy soft cookie that can easily be customized with different flavors and glazes.

I've recently realized how much I adore making homemade lemon madeleines. They are a soft, chewy cookie with a cake-like texture.

The best part of madeleines is that you can pair together the flavors of the cake and icing to create unique combinations. I'm a lemon-lover around here, so I decided to just go with a classic lemon madeleine with lemon zest paired with a lemon glaze.

The result? A cookie that feels so decadent and special and French, but made at home! And thanks to the madeleine pan, they are so gorgeous.

How to make lemon madeleines

First, prep all the ingredients for the lemon madeleines! Make sure your eggs are at room temperature and that you have some softened butter.

Next, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer (or with an electric hand mixer), whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar until pale and very fluffy. Then, sift the flour mixture into the batter.

You'll carefully fold in the flour mixture.

Then, fold in the melted butter. Once that's done, add the lemon juice, zest, and honey and fold that into the batter. Set aside and refrigerate for two hours.

Once you take the batter out of the refrigerator, preheat your oven and get your madeleine pan ready and butter the molds!

You'll let the mixture sit at room temperature for ten minutes, then put into a piping bag.

Pipe into the madeleine molds and then bake!

Once the cookies are baked, remove them from the pan. One side will have the lovely shell pattern and the other side will have the typical madeleine bump. Either top with powdered sugar or a lemon glaze.

What are madeleines?

If you've never had madeleines before, they are kinda like a cross between a cookie and a cake. And I would say more cake-like than cookie-like.

They are almost like mini-cakes. They use a special pan to make, which gives one side a shell-like appearance. The other side gets a hump that is classic on madeleine cookies.

I wound up trying these lemon madeleines two different ways. First, I just dusted powdered sugar over some of these, and for the other half I made a glaze. I'd recommend both! The powdered sugar is probably slightly easier, but I love the look and flavor of the dipped madeleines.

I found this recipe from Martha Stewart for vanilla madeleines, and then adapted it to make a lemon version. The lemon is pretty subtle, but it does add a nice hint of flavor.

Recipe variations

• Orange madeleines - You could substitute out lemon juice and zest with orange juice and zest and make these orange madeleines.
• Lemon raspberry madeleines - You could keep the lemon in the cookies, but take it out of the glaze and instead make a raspberry glaze similar to the one used in these cookies.
• Coconut lime madeleines - You could use lime zest and juice in the place of lemon zest and juice. And you could toast up some coconut and once you've glazed the cookies, sprinkle or dip in the toasted coconut for a pina colada flavor.
• Lavender madeleines - Lemon and lavender are a match made in heaven, but a little lavender goes a long way.

What to serve with the madeleines

I love serving a delicious aeropress cappuccino or french press latte with the madeleines. They're also so delicious with strawberries and peaches paired with almond whipped cream.

Looking for more delicious desserts? Check out these!

• Raspberry Clafoutis
• Creme Brulee
• Lemon Dutch Baby Pancake
• Frozen Lemonade Pie
• Peanut Butter Dates with Coconut
• Air Fryer Cinnamon Apples
• Air Fryer Peach