Hazelnut Financiers

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small light-colored saucepan for browning butter
• •Financier molds, mini muffin tin, or small rectangular silicone molds
• •Pastry brush for buttering molds
• •Wire cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the butter

   Cut the butter into pieces and place in a small light-colored saucepan over medium heat. The butter will melt, foam, then quiet. Watch carefully. When you see golden flecks settle at the bottom and smell toasted nuts, pull the pan from the heat immediately. This takes about five minutes. The color should be the shade of a hazelnut shell. Pour into a heatproof bowl, scraping in every brown bit from the bottom. These are flavor. Let cool until warm but not hot.

   A light-colored pan lets you see the butter changing. Dark pans hide the color until it burns.
2. 2

   Combine dry ingredients

   Whisk together the hazelnut flour, powdered sugar, all-purpose flour, and salt in a medium bowl. Break up any lumps in the powdered sugar with your fingers or sift if needed. The mixture should be uniform and fine.

3. 3

   Build the batter

   Add the egg whites and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until just combined, then pour in the warm brown butter. Fold gently until you have a smooth, glossy batter. Do not overmix. The batter will be thinner than you expect.

   Warm butter incorporates better than hot or cold. If it sizzles when it hits the egg whites, it was too hot.
4. 4

   Rest the batter

   Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes, or up to two days. The rest allows the flour to hydrate and the flavors to deepen. Cold batter also holds its shape better in the mold, creating that characteristic domed top.

5. 5

   Prepare the molds

   Preheat your oven to 400F. Generously butter your financier molds, mini muffin tin, or small rectangular molds. Use soft butter and a pastry brush to reach every corner. The cakes release cleanly only if every surface is coated.

6. 6

   Fill and top

   Spoon or pipe the cold batter into prepared molds, filling each about three-quarters full. The batter will dome as it bakes. Press a few pieces of chopped hazelnut gently onto the surface of each. Do not bury them.

7. 7

   Bake until golden

   Bake for twelve to fourteen minutes. The financiers are done when the edges are deeply golden, the tops spring back when touched, and the kitchen smells of toasted nuts and caramel. They should release easily from the molds. If using a mini muffin tin, check at ten minutes.

8. 8

   Cool and serve

   Let the financiers rest in the molds for two minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. They are best warm, when the edges still have a delicate crunch and the centers are soft. Serve within hours of baking. These do not last long, and that is how it should be.

Chef Tips

• •Seek out hazelnut flour from a mill that grinds it fresh, or toast whole hazelnuts and grind them yourself in a food processor. The oils in nuts go stale faster than you would believe. Fresh hazelnut flour smells sweet and alive.
• •Good butter matters here more than anywhere. The browning concentrates and transforms whatever is in the butter, so start with butter that tastes like something. European-style butter with higher fat content browns more beautifully.
• •If you cannot find financier molds, a mini muffin tin works well. The shape changes but the soul remains.
• •The rested batter improves for up to two days. Mix it on Saturday, bake fresh Sunday morning when company arrives.

Advance Preparation

• •Batter can be refrigerated for up to two days before baking. The flavor deepens with rest.
• •Browned butter can be made up to one week ahead and refrigerated. Warm gently before using.
• •Baked financiers are best the day they are made but will keep in an airtight container for two days. Warm briefly in a 300F oven to restore the crisp edges.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 20g)