Hello everyone, today I'm back with a food post! Today is the first day of classes at my university and everything's a little crazy, so I'm bringing back a recipe I baked and shot during the summer. The original recipe for these matcha financiers is by Monica, who runs Playing with Flour (Link to her recipe here!). Financiers are small French cakes made with almond flour that are deliciously moist and light. You can add many different flavors to them, but I gave the matcha one a shot. Monica's recipe adds different varieties of chocolate inside, but I didn't have any on hand so I went without it and they were still delicious! This dessert seems to be on the easier side of French cuisine, so don't be afraid to give it a shot.
For this recipe you will need:
1 1/2 sticks of butter (If you use salted, just omit down on the added salt!)
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp matcha green tea (This is the brand I use, but I am positive there are higher quality brands out there. Culinary grade is the best, but it can get pricey!)
A pinch of fine sea salt (if you used unsalted butter)
1 cup sugar
1 cup almond flour
6 egg whites at room temperature, lightly beaten.
First, melt the butter over the stove. Set it aside to cool down a bit while you do the next steps.
Mix together the flour, matcha, and salt in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, combine the sugar and almond flour. Add the flour mixture, and then slowly add the egg whites and mix until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Add the melted butter a little bit at a time, stirring together before you add more. It will become combined, I promise!
Cover the batter's surface with plastic and let it chill for at least an hour, but you can leave it in the fridge and make the financiers in batches if you prefer!
Traditional financiers are made in rectangular molds, but I didn't have those so I just used a muffin pan. Preheat your oven to 400F, grease your pan, and bake for at least fifteen minutes. I don't know if the altitude of where I live screwed with the cooking time, but mine took twice the time. I'd start with fifteen minutes and then check it every few minutes with the toothpick test. When they're done, the edges will be a bit browned and the tops might have cracked, but that's okay!
Let them cool a bit, transfer to a wire rack, and then store in a covered container! For my shoot, I topped some of them with powdered sugar and that was tasty as well! They go very well with a cup of matcha itself, tea, coffee, or any other beverage you enjoy!
Thanks for reading, if you try the recipe I hope you enjoy it!
xx, Hannah