Serves: 9
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: medium
Financiers
100 g salted butter
30 g almond flour
35 g hazelnut flour
35 g cake flour
100 g icing sugar
3 large egg whites
½ tsp (2,5 ml) vanilla essence
Ganache Drizzle
85 g fresh cream
85 g dark chocolate, chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) salted butter
To Serve
15 hazelnuts, roughly chopped
gold leaf (optional)
*You will need a financier tin or silicone mould. A small cup muffin tin can work as a substitute.
Financiers
Place the butter in a light-coloured saucepan over medium heat (the light colour helps you monitor the butter’s colour change). As the butter melts, it will begin to foam. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking. After about 5-7 minutes, the butter will turn golden and give off a nutty aroma. Once it reaches a deep golden-brown colour, remove it from the heat. Let the browned butter cool slightly before using.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
Sift the almond flour, hazelnut flour, cake flour, and icing sugar in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, stir the egg whites with a fork to loosen them up (do not whisk) and add the vanilla essence.
Fold the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, using a spatula. Add the cooled browned butter and continue folding the mixture until well combined.
Divide the batter equally into the mould. Be sure to leave a 2mm gap from the top of each mould to avoid overflowing during baking. TIP: you can dip your fingertip into water to smoothen the surface of the batter in each mould.
Bake for 16-18 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in their moulds before unmoulding and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Ganache Drizzle
Heat the cream in a small saucepan; once heated, add the chocolate and stir until it has melted and is fully incorporated. Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring until melted. Transfer to a jug and allow to cool.
To Serve
Toast the chopped hazelnuts in a dry frying pan until lightly golden.
Drizzle the financiers with chocolate ganache, then top with chopped hazelnuts. Garnish with a small piece of gold leaf, if using, to add the final touch.
