Toasted Almond-Coconut Financiers
These simple, French-style cookie-cakes are usually baked in special rectangular molds to resemble little bars of gold. In her book “Paris Sweets” (Clarkson Potter, 2012), Dorie Greenspan makes the process easier by baking them in mini-muffin tins, and the method works beautifully. They bake up soft and chewy, into perfect two-bite-size treats. This recipe uses toasted almond flour, which deepens the flavor. A dip in melted bittersweet chocolate gives the financiers a polished look and balances out their sweetness. This recipe makes 12, but easily doubles for a crowd.
- Total:
- Serves: 12 persons
Ingredients
- ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for greasing the tin
- ½cup/45 grams sweetened, shredded coconut
- ½cup/55 grams almond flour
- ⅓cup/67 grams granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 2large egg whites
- ¼teaspoon almond extract
- 3ounces/85 grams bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1teaspoon neutral oil
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup mini-muffin tin.Step 2
On a rimmed baking sheet, spread out the coconut and almond flour, side by side. Toast until both are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through and keeping a close watch at the end. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly.Step 3
Use your fingertips to grind the coconut with the almond flour to break it down into small pieces. Add the sugar, flour and salt, and whisk to combine.Step 4
Whisk in the egg whites and almond extract, then the melted butter.Step 5
Divide the batter evenly among the greased cups. (A small cookie scoop makes easy work of this task.) Tap the pan on the countertop to smooth the tops.Step 6
Bake until the cakes spring back when pressed gently in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. Pop them out of the tin, using a small offset spatula or knife to loosen the edges if needed, and let them cool completely on a wire rack.Step 7
Melt the chocolate and oil together in a small bowl in short, 10-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each. (Alternatively, melt the chocolate and oil over a double boiler on the stove.)Step 8
Dip half of each financier in the chocolate and set on a rack until set, at least 30 minutes.