Active Time

　　25 min

　　Total Time

　　45 min

　　Lori Hartman of New York City, writes: "I'm looking for a good madeleine recipe similar to the delicious ones (lemony, buttery, and spongy, but crispy on the edges) I used to buy at Bouley Bakery in Manhattan's TriBeCa neighborhood. Can you get the recipe?"

　　The crisp edge on these delightful citrus-scented cookies sets them apart from any other classic madeleines our food editors have tasted. We're never going back.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 36 madeleines

　　1 3/4 sticks (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for brushing molds

　　1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

　　1 tablespoon baking powder

　　2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemonzest

　　1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

　　3/4 cup sugar

　　3 large eggs

　　1/4 cup whole milk

　　1 1/2 tablespoons mild honey

　　

Special Equipment

3 nonstick madeleine pans with 12 (2-tablespoon) molds each

　　

Step 1

Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Brush molds with melted butter.

　　

Step 2

Sift together flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then whisk in zest.

　　

Step 3

Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into another bowl with tip of a paring knife (reserve pod for another use). Add sugar and rub together until vanilla is well dispersed, then whisk in eggs, milk, honey, and remaining 1 3/4 sticks melted butter. Fold into flour mixture until just combined.

　　

Step 4

Spoon a rounded tablespoon of batter into each mold, filling it about two-thirds full. Bake (with 2 pans on one rack), switching position of pans halfway through baking and rotating 180 degrees, until golden around edges and a wooden pick or skewer inserted into center of a madeleine comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes total.

　　

Step 5

Turn out madeleines onto a rack and serve slightly warm.

　　Cooks' notes:

　　· These madeleines are best eaten when just baked. · The batter can be made 3 hours ahead, then chilled, covered.