Hazelnut Financiers Recipes

AUTHENTIC FRENCH FINANCIER RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C.
• in a small saucepan, heat butter on low to medium heat, occasionally swirling the pan over the stovetop for about 5 minutes. It will foam at first, but then it will begin to brown, producing dark golden flecks (browned milk solids). Check the color and once you are happy with the level of browning, pour the butter (with milk solids) in a bowl to stop cooking. Let it stand and fully cool down.
• using an electric mixer whisk egg whites for no longer than 20 seconds and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, all-purpose flour, almond, and hazelnut flour. Add beaten egg whites to the dry ingredients and mix with a hand whisk. Stir in the brown butter.
• Generously butter cavities of a mini muffin pan. Pour the batter into the mold filling the holes up to two-thirds. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, until nicely browned. Remove from the oven, and let cakes cool before removing them from the mold.

HAZELNUT FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush 24 cups of mini tart pans with butter; dust lightly with flour, tapping out excess. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. When it begins to sizzle, reduce heat to medium. Cook, swirling skillet occasionally, until butter is browned and fragrant. Skim foam from top, leaving liquid butter behind; remove from heat and let cool.
• Whisk to combine flour, ground hazelnuts, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add egg whites, and whisk until smooth. Stir in brandy. Pour in cooled butter, leaving any dark brown sediment in skillet; whisk to combine. Let batter stand at room temperature 20 minutes or, covered, up to 1 day.
• Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon of batter into each prepared cup, filling each about two-thirds full. Place pans on baking sheets and bake, rotating halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 13 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes before unmolding.
• Heat jam in a small saucepan over medium, stirring, until melted. Let cool 5 minutes, then brush some over each cake. Place 1 hazelnut on top. Cookies are best served the same day they are baked.

CRANBERRY PEAR HAZELNUT FINANCIER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan.
• Spread hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan and toast in oven until they begin to turn pale golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Cool hazelnuts completely. Discard any hazelnut skins that rub off easily. Increase oven temperature to 400°F.
• Peel and core pear. Chop pear coarse and in a bowl toss with cranberries and 1/4 cup sugar.
• In a food processor grind nuts with remaining 3/4 cup sugar, flour, and salt until fine.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with a pinch salt until they just hold stiff peaks and fold in nut mixture gently but thoroughly. Fold in butter and vanilla (the batter will deflate) and spread batter evenly in cake pan. Arrange fruit mixture evenly over batter and bake in middle of oven 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
• Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and invert onto a plate. Cool cake, fruit side up, on rack until ready to serve.
• Sprinkle cake with confectioners' sugar and serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.

FIG-HAZELNUT FINANCIERS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a small saucepan, melt butter, letting it cook until it turns nut brown and smells toasted, about 5 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl and let cool. (Do not scrape up any black bits from the bottom of the pot.)
• In a large bowl, combine sugar, hazelnut flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set on low speed (or use a whisk and a strong arm), beat in egg whites until flour mixture is damp. Add butter and beat on medium-high speed (or vigorously by hand) until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. At this point, the batter can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.
• Trim stems off figs and slice each one crosswise into 3 rounds; you will have 9 fig rounds.
• Butter and flour nine 1/2-cup muffin cups. Divide batter between cups and top each with a slice of fig. Bake until financiers are golden brown and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before unmolding.