Triple Chocolate Madeleines are the perfect French delicacy. Rich dark cocoa fills the sponge, whilst a thin white chocolate layer surprises inside, then dipped in milk chocolate to finalise the trifecta. Packed full of chocolate the decadent rich flavour of these Madeleines will satisfy any chocolate lover.
Madeleines have long been renowned for their fiddly nature when it comes to baking. But follow my step by step instructions and you’ll be making them like the best of the Parisians! Yes they require more patience with the extra refrigeration time and a little thought prior to making as they aren't your ‘usual’ sponge, but I want you to believe me that these are NOT complicated, along as you follow the steps.
The right equipment for your Triple Chocolate Madeleines
The trickiest bit about making madeleines is using the right pan. Yes you read right, in my view, that’s the hardest part because you can’t substitute the pan with anything other than a Madeleines pan.
That signature shape embodies the Madeleines so I urge you to invest in one. If you prefer the smaller, more rectangular shaped Madeleines then definitely go for two 6-Hole Madeleines Trays, as most recipes make enough batter to make x12 madeleines and it's a hassle to have to bake one set, cool the pan, wash, re-butter and flour, fill and bake for a second round.
For Christmas I bought myself (!) one of these Madeleine Bakeware in Champagne Gold. They have beautiful large spherical shell moulds and each mould holds double the amount of filling so you only need to buy one tray. I have fallen head over heels with this shape - a wise investment for sure, I know that this tray will serve me well!
If you are based in the US I recommend this Spherical Shell Madeline Bakeware in Champagne Gold or if you prefer the standard Madeleines pan shape then opt for this 12-Cup Madeleine Pan from Amazon.com
How to make these Triple Chocolate Madeleines
Top tips:
- Buttering the madeleines pan. Melt a tablespoon of butter and using a pastry brush work that butter into all the nooks of the shell mould. Then dust lightly all over with cocoa powder and tap out the excess. This helps give the outside of the madeleines a crispy exterior but also stops them from sticking. Very important! (Dust with plain flour if the madeleines aren’t chocolate!)
- Whipping the eggs and sugar. Normally when making a sponge batter we beat the butter and sugar together to aerate the batter. But with madeleines you whip the eggs and sugar for a solid 5 minutes to really get some volume going. Then you add the milk and vanilla bean extract, and then sifted dry ingredients mixing carefully until just combined. It’s at this point, right at the end that we add the melted butter and mix it in.
- Letting the batter rest. This is another important step. Once you have finished making the batter, cover your bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate. Between 1-2 hours is ideal but overnight if you want to have fresh madeleines for breakfast (totally acceptable I might add!)
- Filling the moulds. You need to place a heaped tablespoon of the batter in the deepest part of the shell mould. And don’t flatten it out. The heat of the oven will do that whilst also allowing the signature ‘mound’ on the back of the madeleine to rise.
- When to eat them. They are best served on the same day. I find that even if you store them in an airtight container, they can go quite dry. The downside to baking something so small. But the upside is that you have the perfect excuse to eat them right away. And dunking them in your coffee is a sure fire way of enjoying them.
Madeleines through the Seasons
Last season I made Browned Butter Espresso Madeleines that totally rocked my Autumnal socks! The nutty notes from the browned butter, rich espresso glaze and chopped walnuts embodied the Autumnal time of year.
Sitting near the end of Winter, coming up to Valentine’s Day, I went full on Chocolate this time around! Always a win. Adding the sea salt brings out the depth of chocolate, a trick I use in every chocolate recipe.
For Spring, zesty lemon poppyseed will suit and for summer perhaps classic vanilla with a raspberry glaze. The flavour possibilities are endless with these beauties!
As mentioned above, Madeleines get a bad wrap for being tricky to make. But over the past year I’ve made them a fair few times and I’ve found that as long as I follow these rules then they work every time.
I really hope that you tryout these French delicious. They are something special and particularly heading towards Valentine's Day, your loved one will feel SO special if you surprise them with a batch of my Triple Chocolate Madeleines.
For more decadent chocolate treats, check out these recipes:
Strawberry Shortcake Chocolate Bark
Triple Chocolate No-Bake Cheesecake
Triple Chocolate Madeleines
Ingredients
- 115 g butter, melted and at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 110 g golden caster sugar (super-fine), or regular caster sugar
- 20 ml whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 95 g plain flour (all-purpose)
- 35 g cocoa powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 50 g white chocolate buttons (24 buttons), divided into 12
- 100 g milk chocolate, melted
- ½ tsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp Malden flaked sea salt
Instructions
- Heat your butter in a small saucepan over low heat until melted.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the eggs and caster sugar and whisk on high until increased in volume, pale and fluffy, approx five minutes. Reduce the speed to low, and add the milk and vanilla extract and whisk till combined.
- Sift the plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a separate bowl and then add to the mixture. Mix till just combined.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and pour in the melted butter and fold till combined. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for one hour.
- Prior to baking, pre-heat the oven to (180°C/350°F). Brush melted butter onto your moulds and then dust with cocoa powder and tap away excess. Refrigerate your pan until the mixture is ready.
- Spoon a dollop of batter into the shell mould and then place 2 white chocolate buttons onto the mixture and cover with another dollop of the batter. Repeat with each shell mould.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the sponge has risen and ‘domed’ as it is fully cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool slightly.
- Heat the milk chocolate and coconut oil in short bursts in the microwave until fully melted. Dip the madeleines into the milk chocolate and sprinkle with flaked salt. Best eaten within a few hours of making.
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Some of the links above are affiliate links, which pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting Emma Duckworth Bakes
Dana Al Mahmoud
Those Madeleines were absolutely perfect! just follow the recipe and you will get the perfect shape, texture and taste.. Perfect Recipe.
Best cake in Shell!
Emma
Amazing Dana,
Thank you so much for leaving such a brilliant relieve. These little madeleines are fantastic and the recipes works every time- just like it did for you 🙂 xx
Ashlee
Hi Emma,
These look amazing and I can't wait to try them! I was just wondering if I could substitute the coconut oil for anything else? Thank you 🙂
Emma
Hi Ashlee, I can’t wait for you to try them- they are delicious! To replace the coconut oil, I would add the equivalent in butter. It adds a lovely shine to the chocolate.
Thanks, Emma
Ashlee
Hi Emma,
I just made these and wanted to let you know they are phenomenal! It was my first attempt at Madeleines and wow these were great. Thank you for such a great recipe! I'll be making these at least once a week 🙂
Emma
That’s an amazing response Ashlee- so happy that you loved them. xx
Gloria
Great texture. But dusting my pan with the cocoa powder made my madeleines very dark. Mine had a nice bump but is there a reason why the design didn't come out as defined as yours?
Emma
Hi Gloria, the dusting is meant to be super light and then any excess gets knocked out so it shouldn’t alter the colour of your madeleines dramatically.
Did you use exactly the same pan as mine. Different pans have slightly different shapes. The pan I used is a large deep shell shape. The more standard pans are smaller shallower moulds.
Rebecca
Perfect recipe.
I actually misread when to add the melted butter but no problem, they still turned out great and were consumed in record time so have to make more!!
Emma
Thats amazing to hear Rebecca, it makes me super happy to hear!
Emma
These look great Rebecca, thanks so much for making and sharing my recipe x
Hazel
can i leave the batter overnight in the refrigerator and bake them the next day?
Emma
Hi Hazel, Yes you can certainly do that. x
Becky
I’d never made Madeleines before so was slightly nervous but I needn’t have been. They were easier than I expected. My tin was a different shape to Emma’s & I slightly overfilled them but that definitely didn’t take away from the taste. They were so yummy. Loved the chocolate in the middle. My only problem was I couldn’t stop eating them!!!!
Emma
Getting the exact quantity to suit your specific pan can take a bit of practice but once you have it nailed its easy every time. As you say though, if slightly over filled they taste exactly the same!! Well done trying these for the first time x
Abby
These Madeleines have the most wonderful taste! My Madeleine pan is a 9 hole one and the recipe made 24 - I found that using white chocolate buttons in the middle had the best result for that perfect white chocolate centre! Great recipe and extremely delicious!
Emma
Eek this makes me so happy to hear!! Aren’t white chocolate buttons the best! Thanks for leaving the review Abby x
Harpreet Baura
Emma, this recipe is just phenomenal. Thank you so much! You explain each step so well, I had a great time baking these with my 6-year-old, and the result was delicious.
They are very easy to make and come out beautifully. This is now my "go-to" recipe for chocolate madeleines.
Thank you!
Emma
Thanks Harpreet - I’m so chuffed that you love this recipe as much as I do. Make sure to try out my other madeleines recipes too xx
Eilidh
These madeleines are amazing! I've used this recipe twice now and they turned out perfect both times. Definitely my go-to for chocolate madeleines now! Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
Emma
Thank you Eilidh for your fabulous comment - It makes me super happy to know that this will be a staple in your kitchen x
Jade
Turned out perfectly, super easy to follow and a yummy result!
Emma
Hi Jade- Thats great to hear - thank you so much for leaving a review. x