With their soft, buttery and delicate texture, madeleines are the perfect treat for tea time, even more if they're flavored with earl grey tea leaves. Their subtle citrus flavor will pair very well with your cup of tea (which may or may not be Earl Grey). <br />To my mind, the hump is the most important part of the madeleine, and not only for aesthetic reasons. That's where all the fluffiness is! As a kid, I used to bite into the hump first, happy to deliver my little madeleine from its heavy burden. <br /> <br />Making madeleines can be tricky and requires an intimate knowledge of your oven. The secret for a perfectly bumpy madeleine is to create a thermal shock by first chilling your batter and then, while they're baking, making a couple of precise temperature adjustments. This technique is initially inspired by the famous French pastry chef, Lenôtre. You might have to slightly adjust the times and temperatures mentioned in the recipe, based on your oven. <br />Most madeleines recipes call for brown butter, but after experimenting for a while, I found that using softened butter instead allows for a lighter texture. If, on the other hand, you prefer your madeleines denser, use melted butter cooled to room temperature.

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