Christmas Gingerbread Madeleines

Christmas Gingerbread madeleines are a holiday twist on classic madeleines and a great and delicious alternative to gingerbread houses. Made with fragrant spices, rich brown sugar, and a dash of dark rum, they will fill your home with holiday cheer.

Follow my step-by-step photographed explanations, expert tips, and tricks to help you succeed with this incredibly yummy and delicious recipe.

It is so true that we all associate gingerbread with everyone's time of year - Christmas. Festive flavors bring comfort and deliciousness to a whole family during the holiday season.

Whether Gingerbread cookies are arranged into a Christmas tree garland, French Gingerbread, or gorgeous Gingerbread Pavlova, they all make gingerbread fun.

Gingerbread madeleines are a perfect weekend baking project to enjoy during fall and a tasty reminder of winter days in spring and summer.

Moreover, after making a classic madeleine recipe, implementing gingerbread madeleine flavors is the next step in madeleine making and flavor pairing.

What are the slices in gingerbread?

Gingerbread blend is a signature Christmas flavor and a necessary ingredient while baking gingerbread goodies. However, it can also be used to cook other sweet desserts (cakes, pies, cookies, etc.) and savory dishes.

• Store-bought gingerbread black tea is a mixture of gingerbread spices and black tea.

• Classic McCormick gingerbread spice mixes ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. If you want to make it yourself, follow the homemade Gingerbread spice mix recipe.

• German gingerbread recipes call for gingerbread spice, or Lebkuchengewuerz in German, which consists of the same ingredients as the American gingerbread spice with added anise seed, coriander, cardamom, and fennel seed.

This traditional mixture is also called Neunerlei mix, which holds nine spices, although small amounts of ground black pepper and mace can also be added while baking.

Look for Lebkuchen Neunerlei at a German grocery or make German Gingerbread spice yourself.

• French gingerbread spice mix, Épices à pain d’épices Maison in French, is a five-spice blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, clove, coriander, and nutmeg with a little star anise.

Gingerbread madeleines recipe

• It is a wonderful recipe to enjoy Christmas madeleines around the winter holidays.

• Gingerbread madeleines are a festive twist on the traditional French madeleine cookies. They are easy and delicious alternatives to other gingerbread-baked goods during Christmas time.

• Flavored with warm spices, they represent one of the most delicious madeleine recipes.

• These little bites make a great edible holiday gift and an addition to a holiday cookie box.

Ingredients

Get a quick overview of the necessary ingredients. For precise measurements and instructions, refer to the recipe card below. Also, discover the essential baking tools I rely on for daily baking.

Read about madeleine ingredients and alternative substitutions. Discover the secret to making the best madeleines with high quality products.

• Eggs: Take eggs out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before you start to get them to room temperature.

• Sugar: The recipe calls for golden brown sugar. You can replace it with dark brown sugar, light brown muscovado sugar, dark brown muscovado sugar, or French Vergeoise sugar.

• Butter: High-quality products especially, butter is essential in madeleine making. Melt unsalted butter and cool it to 120°F (50°C) before incorporating it into the main preparation.

• Flour: Use all-purpose flour to make madeleines.

• Acacia honey is the most neutral honey that does not cover flavors and is used in baking. You can replace acacia honey with another type of honey if you desire.

• Baking powder is used as a leavening agent.

• Spice blend: Use a mix of ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Experiment with spices by adding or replacing some with ground coriander (no more than ½ teaspoon), ground pepper (no more than ⅛ teaspoon), or use 1 teaspoon McCormick gingerbread spice instead of the recipe's spice mix.

Pro tip: Don't use more than four spices simultaneously if you make a spice mix yourself.

• Dark rum brings a beautiful flavor to already spiced madeleines. Omit this ingredient to make the recipe kid-friendly.

How to make gingerbread madeleines

Step 1. To make the madeleine batter, place eggs (at room temperature), sugar, and honey in a large mixing bowl (photo 1) and beat with a hand whisk (photo 2).

Step 2. Sift all-purpose flour with baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves with a flour sifter in the second bowl. Add dry ingredients to the main mixture, and combine with a whisk (photo 3).

Step 3. Add butter melted and cooled to 120°F (50°C) and whisk again. Add dark rum and mix (photo 4 ).

Step 4. Cover the batter with plastic wrap in contact and refrigerate overnight.

Step 5. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Use softened butter to butter the cavities of a madeleine mold. Dust it with flour and tap the excess flour. If using a silicone mold, there is no need to grease it.

Pro tip: Read more about how to bake with silicone molds.

Step 6. Using a pastry bag, fill the cavities up to two-thirds of the way (photo 5).

Step 7. Bake cakes at 425°F (220°C) for 3 minutes. Then switch off the oven for 7 to 8 minutes. The madeleines will get that famous bump or hump on top. Then, turn the oven to 320°F (160°C) for 3 to 4 minutes.

Pro tip: Read all the secrets about the madeleine hump.

Step 8. Remove madeleines from the oven and cool them in the mold for 5 minutes. Turn it over and hit it hard: madeleines will come by themselves. If using a silicone mold, take them out one by one, pushing each silicone mold cavity from the bottom.

Step 9. Place cakes on the side, still in the mold (not on a cooling rack), so they cool down (photo 6). Repeat the same procedure to bake the second batch of madeleines.

Expert Tips

1. Learn all the tips and tricks for making perfect French madeleines in this comprehensive guide.
2. To ensure perfect madeleines, cool your madeleine pan between batches. For metal molds, grease, and flour before each batch.
3. Serve madeleines warm, right from the oven, or within one hour after baking. Enjoy them with a cup of coffee, tea, French hot chocolate, or a glass of Christmas champagne.

Recipe variations

Here are a few recipe variations for making Christmas madeleines:

• Try to use apple pie spice, a mix of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, and cloves.

• Use pumpkin pie spice, a mix of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, mace, and cloves.

• Experiment with five-spice Chinese powder, a blend of ground cinnamon, star anise, fennel seed, Sichuan peppercorns, and cloves that work instead of gingerbread spice.

• Use a store-bought Schwartz ground mixed spice, baking mixed spice, or cake spice.

Storing and freezing

Store gingerbread madeleines in an airtight container. A BPA-free, microwave-safe Tupperware plastic box or a large glass jar will also work.

Place a paper towel in the bottom of the box to help absorb the excess fat. With that, keep your madeleines at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Can you freeze gingerbread madeleines? Place madeleines in a single layer in a Ziploc freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To thaw, bring cakes to room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Then reheat them in the microwave or the oven at 350°F (175°C) for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe FAQ

Love madeleines? Try these next!

If you are a fan of madeleines, you will love these other delicious madeleine recipes featured on the blog.

• Lemon poppy seed madeleiens
• Raspberry madeleines
• Or read more about all things madeleines

Craving more sweets? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and subscribe to receive new recipes. Also, have a look at my favorite baking tools I use daily.

Print

Recipe card

Follow my step-by-step photographed explanations, expert tips, and tricks to help you succeed with this incredibly yummy and delicious recipe.

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was originally published on December 11, 2020. It has been revised to include improved content and photos.