Makes: About 1 dozen
Time: About 30 minutes
These moist, lightly sweet little rectangular cakes are said to have gotten their name because the main ingredients—brown butter and almonds—are rich. But with a simple ingredient list and straightforward prep, you don’t have to be rich to enjoy them. A stint in a very hot oven creates a crisp, buttery crust with a tender middle. These are easy and just super.
1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Generously grease a muffin tin or, if you have it, a financier tin.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the butter, stirring frequently, until it becomes a light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
3. Combine the sugar, flour, and almond flour in a mixing bowl. Beat the egg whites until frothy, then add to the flour mixture and mix until the batter is smooth, about 3 minutes. Stir in the brown butter and vanilla until fully incorporated.
4. Fill the muffin cups about three-quarters full. Bake until the cakes have just started to rise, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.
GINGER LEMON FINANCIERS Fold the grated zest of 1 large lemon into the finished batter and substitute 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger for the vanilla.
CHOCOLATE FINANCIERS Especially good with a chunk of dark chocolate pressed into the batter before baking: Decrease the all-purpose flour to 2 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder along with the almond flour and sugar.
CORNMEAL LIME FINANCIERS Substitute fine cornmeal (it won’t work with coarse) for the almond flour and add the grated zest of 2 limes. Omit the vanilla.
COCONUT ORANGE FINANCIERS Substitute coconut flour for the almond flour. Add the zest of 1 orange to the batter before baking. For a stronger coconut flavor, add ⅓ cup shredded unsweetened coconut to the batter.
FRUIT FINANCIERS Like an extra-buttery muffin: Prepare ¾ cup fruit, either fresh or frozen and thawed, coarsely chopped if necessary. Once you’ve filled the tins, top each with 1 tablespoon of the fruit and gently press the fruit into the batter.
GLUTEN-FREE FINANCIERS It’s easy to make these gluten-free since there’s only a small amount of flour to begin with: Replace the all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons each sweet rice flour and cornstarch.