-
Preheat the oven to 325 F with a rack in the middle of the oven (or 2 racks* in the top and bottom thirds of the oven--it depends on whether you have 1 or 2 madeleine pans).
-
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and brush it generously into 24 molds (or brush half of it into 12 molds and plan to do it again inbetween batches*). Do not cheat and use cookie spray here--I am completely convinced that using butter is part of what makes these so good.
-
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and sea salt. Set aside.
-
Place the 12 tablespoons of butter and the sugar into a microwave-safe bowl (preferably a medium-large one) and microwave on low power for 1-2 minutes to melt completely. When it has melted, whisk it smooth and then whisk in the dulce de leche. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
-
Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Completely blend.
-
Stir in the flour mixture. Do not overmix, but do completely incorporate. The mixture should be thick--mine was not, and I suspect I mis-measured the dulce de leche as it did not fit nicely in a liquid measuring cup. I sprinkled a little extra flour over my batter and that was sufficient.
-
The batter will divide perfectly between 24 molds--but if you are baking one pan at a time, a 1 1/2 inch diameter cookie scoop would work best. The molds will be almost full.
-
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the madeleines have puffed and browned.
-
Let the madeleines cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes, before using a thin silicone spatula to loosen each madeleine. Invert onto a cooling rack.
-
These are wonderful cooled or warm out of the oven.
-
*If using one pan only, wipe the pan clean and brush with butter, but let cool completely before adding the batter to the molds.