September  was my mum and dad’s 55th wedding anniversary so we had a little tea party theme family party for them. In preparation I made a few fun recipes to make the dessert trays just a little bit fancy. These French Almond Financiers are so easy to throw together. You don’t even need a mixer, you just gently stir the ingredients together and bake. They are slightly crisp on the outside, but gorgeously soft and buttery on the inside.

The delicate flavor of these Mini French Almond Financiers comes from the combination of ground almond flour and beautiful brown butter. One of my sisters came over to help me bake and decorate, and had never heard of browning butter before! When I let her smell it she was blown away by how just plain butter can become so rich and nutty with some gentle boiling on the stove top. If you haven’t browned butter before, you are in for a treat!

A couple of tips for this recipe:

• I love to use this cute little brownie pan to make my financiers. I use it for brownies too when everyone wants those chewy edges!
• I like to spray the squares of the pan with Bakers Joy cooking spray and then use my pastry brush to get it all in the corners and up the sides. Bakers Joy has a little bit of flour in it, so it makes the cakes easier to pop out.
• Don’t overmix the batter, just mix gently until everything is combined then scoop with a 3Tbsp cookie scoop in to the pan squares. You should have just enough batter to make 12 squares. You will need to scrape down all the remaining batter for the last square.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour your 12 square brownie pan or you can use a regular muffin pan. (I use Bakers Joy Spray and then use a pastry brush to make sure it gets in all the corners and up the sides)
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it turns golden brown and starts to smell nutty. Pour into a glass measuring cup or bowl, making sure to scrape in all the brown bits, and allow to cool slightly
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, almond flour, AP flour and salt
4. Add the egg whites, vanilla, and almond extract and stir until combined. Add the cooled brown butter and stir with a spatula until the batter is smooth and silky
5. Spoon the batter in to the prepared pan, putting just under 3Tbsp of batter in each cavity. (They should be just about 1/2 full)
6. Sprinkle some sliced almonds in to each cavity on top of the batter
7. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden
8. Let them cool in then pan for about 10 minutes, then gently remove and place on a cooling rack
9. Dust with powdered sugar before serving