Who doesn’t like Madelines? These shell-like cookies are the French staple and they always look so pretty in the stores! At the same time I always refuse to buy them because they are quite high in sugar, butter and – well, calories!
Besides the store-bought ones are always made with the regular flour instead of the whole wheat – which to me is a big turn-off: I’d rather buy an oatmeal cookie if I’m craving something when I’m out instead!
That’s why I’ve always wanted to make my own Madelines! And of course I wanted to do my best to lower the calorie and sugar count while keeping my Madeline’s’ signature luxuriously buttery flavor and texture!
And what could be a better time to make a batch of these luxurious cookies than the Holiday Cookie Season?!
THE SECRETS BEHIND LOW-CALORIE MADELINE COOKIES!
The biggest secret when it comes to lowering the sugar? It’s very easy! I found out that dusting the cookies generously with the powdered sugar allowed me to significantly minimize the amount of sugar in the dough!
It’s because what’s the first thing that goes into your mouth?
It’s what’s on the outside of the cookies right? And since on the outside is the powdered sugar – the inside doesn’t need to be super-sweet at all!
The secret behind lowering the fat content without the cookies turning chewy and dry? It’s also simple!
My favorite greek yogurt came to the rescue!
The thick texture of it blended perfectly into the batter and allowed me to use only 1/2 the butter that the original recipe called for!
Still, you must use that little bit of butter!
First off, because a little bit of anything is OK to have!
And secondary – this little bit of butter does go a long way: you need it for the cookies to taste truly luxurious!
So what do you say? Let’s get to baking? 🙂
The Best Low-Calorie Madeline Cookies Recipe! Healthy, easy step-by-step instructions how to make luxurious but guilt-free Madeline Cookies!
- 2 oz butter
- 2 oz fat-free greek yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon zest optional
- 2 tsp powdered sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 375F.
Spray the madeleine molds with some a little bit of oil and dust with flour.
Melt the butter, set aside to cool to room temperature.
Beat the eggs, vanilla and salt until frothy - 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating for 5 to 10 minutes, until mixture is thick.
Fold the flour in 1/3 additions into the egg mixture. Add the lemon zest.
Whisk together the butter and yogurt. Pour the yogurt and butter mixture over the batter and gently fold until combined.
Spoon batter into molds, bake 15 to 17 minutes, until the cookies spring back to the touch and are golden brown.
Remove cookies from molds to cooling rack and dust with confectioners’ sugar.
I love your tip tos reduce the sugar and butter, but still enjoy these heavenly little cookies! What a treat, they will be perfect for Santa!
Thank you so very much, dear Debra! 🙂
In the end, how many calories are there per cookie? What’s a serving… 1-2 Cookies? Recipe looks good!
Hi, Ally! Thank you so much for your kind words! It’s one of my older posts from when I didn’t calculate nutrition. I just updated it. The serving is 1 cookie and there are 56 calories in each cookie! 🙂