I've had leftover egg whites sitting in my fridge for a few weeks now and I finally got fed up looking at them and decided to make something. But what? Macarons would be the obvious choice but I was too lazy to deal with the lengthy process of making and piping the batter, the drying time and then filling the cookies. I was after something quick, easy and delicious - cue the Financiers!
These little French almond cakes have a delicious nutty bite and texture and go perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea. I used a recipe from Cook's Illustrated that was super easy to come together in one bowl. The only "tedious" thing was to make the brown butter and that took no time at all.
Normally the cakes are baked in rectangular molds so that they resemble gold bars, which is where the "financier" name comes from but not everyone has those specialty molds. I like this version that uses a mini muffin pan. The financiers were delicious plain but I jazzed mine up by topping them with fresh raspberries, blueberries and chocolate chunks.
NOTE: You can make this gluten-free by replacing the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour.
Normally the cakes are baked in rectangular molds so that they resemble gold bars, which is where the "financier" name comes from but not everyone has those specialty molds. I like this version that uses a mini muffin pan. The financiers were delicious plain but I jazzed mine up by topping them with fresh raspberries, blueberries and chocolate chunks.
NOTE: You can make this gluten-free by replacing the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour.
