A quiet play on milk and honey, these madeleines feel made for tea time.
Burnt honey brings a deep caramel warmth—softly toasty and gently caramelized—while milk softens the crumb and rounds the flavor. Finished with a white chocolate shell, they’re creamy on the outside, warm and honeyed within.
Bakers Notes
Burnt honey
Burnt honey is honey that’s been cooked until dark and golden. It smells caramel-y and nutty, with a depth that sits just shy of bitter. Allow it to cool completely before using.
Pans and molds
A classic metal madeleine pan gives the best definition and edge color when baking. I prefer a silicone mold for the white chocolate shell, as it makes unmolding much easier.
Sugar
I keep these madeleines on the not-so-sweet side since the white chocolate adds plenty of sweetness. If you prefer a sweeter cake, you can increase the sugar to ½ cup (100 g).
Milk glaze option
A tA thin milk glaze is also lovely if you want to lean further into the milk-and-honey feeling. I like to add a little butter and a whisper of the burnt honey to round the flavor.
Sourdough variation
To make these with sourdough, reduce the flour to 100 g and add 50 g sourdough discard. The crumb will be slightly more tender, with a gentle tang that works beautifully with the honey.
Milk and Burnt Honey Madelines
Ingredients
Burnt Honey
1 cup honey
2 tablespoon water
Madeline
1 cup (130g) all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (85g) granulated sugar* see note
2 tablespoons burnt honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (40 g) whole milk
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp (130g) butter, melted
White chocolate
Instructions
Make the burnt honey
- Add the honey to a saucepan.Bring to a simmer stirring often, cook for 5-6 minutes until the honey is golden and smells toasty remove from the heat and mix in the water. Allow to cool and store in a jar. This will keep for months.
Make the Madelines
- Melt the butter and set aside.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the sugar, and eggs. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5-6 minutes. Add the honey and vanilla followed by the milk. Mix for another minute or two.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Drizzle in the butter and gently fold with a spatula. Transfer to a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge for atleast an hour or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375. Spray or brush a Madeline tin with melted butter. Place 1 level tablespoon of batter into each shell. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centers spring back. Be careful not to overcook.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing. Serve warm dusted with powdered sugar or allow to cool completely before dipping in white chocolate.
Make the white chocolate shell
- In a double boiler, warm the chocolate until it begins to melt. Remove from the heat and continue to stir until completely melted. Add a tablespoon of melted chocolate into each mold (I find silicone mold works best) and gently press a Madeline into the chocolate, spreading the chocolate out beneath it. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Gently remove the Madelines from the mold.
Notes
I kept the Madelines on the not-so-sweet side since the white chocolate is quite sweet. Feel free to bump up the sugar to 1/2 cup (100g).
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