Published March 1, 1996.
The first step of our madeleine recipe was to prepare for the last and most difficult step: getting the cookies out of the pan. We coated not just the inside of the molds but also the rims with a little melted butter and a dash of flour. Releasing the cookies immediately after removing them from the oven also proved crucial. To avoid imprinting lines on our cookies from wire cooling racks, we turned the cookies out onto a tea towel, tapping the mold gently on the counter to release them, if needed. To our surprise, the best madeleine recipe, with a light, tight crumb, came from a combination of cake and all-purpose flours rather than from cake flour alone.
To coat the molds, mix two teaspoons of melted butter with one teaspoon of all-purpose flour. Brush the molds and rims thoroughly, but not thickly, with this mixture.
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