Almond financiers are wonderful French almond cakes that have a crisp exterior and a dense, moist center. Today we’re going to give them a chocolate makeover by adding chocolate chips for a spotted, tiger look and filling them with a milk chocolate ganache.
I came across these cute little treats, also known as tigrés, years ago and I thought it was about time I shared them with you!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No mixer needed: The financier batter is quite easy to make. You just need a spoon or a spatula to combine all the ingredients.
- Leftover egg whites: This recipe is super handy when you’ve got leftover egg whites from making pastry cream for example. You simply pour them into the batter. That’s right, no whipping!
- Customizable: You can really play around with this recipe. Skip the chocolate for a traditional almond financier and use a financier mold. You could also make 18 mini financiers baked for about 13 minutes using a mini muffin pan (when filling the cavities 2/3 of the way). Or you could replace the chocolate ganache with another filling of your choice.
Ingredients
For the financier batter
- Butter: You’ll need unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. The first step of the recipe consists in making beurre noisette (hazelnut butter) which gives the financiers a very nice caramel flavor.
- Almond flour: I like to process the almonds myself instead of buying store-bought almond flour/meal. It’s cheaper and the almond flavor will usually be more intense in the homemade flour. But feel free to use whatever you like. If you choose to grind the almonds in a food processor, you can use raw almonds or toasted (unsalted) almonds. Just be careful not to process the almonds for too long so you don’t end up with almond butter!
- Egg whites: We’ll just be combining room temperature egg whites with the dry ingredients.
- Flour: A little bit of all-purpose flour, for structure.
- Sugar: White granulated sugar, for sweetness and to give the financiers wonderfully crisp edges.
- Flavorings: I like to use vanilla flavor to complement the caramel flavor from the beurre noisette. But you could replace it with almond extract for a deeper almond flavor or simply omit it. You’ll also need a little bit of salt to enhance all the flavors.
- Chocolate chips: I prefer to use milk chocolate chips for this recipe which pair really well with the beurre noisette flavor. I found dark chocolate a bit overpowering. But you can use whatever you prefer or have on hand.
For the chocolate ganache
- Chocolate: Milk chocolate, coarsely chopped, to make a delicious chocolate ganache that we’ll pour in the center of the financiers.
- Heavy cream: The amount used will determine how firm or runny your ganache is. If using dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate for the ganache, you’ll need to add more heavy cream (about equal amounts heavy cream and chocolate).
Step-by-Step Instructions
There are two part to this recipe: the financier batter and the chocolate ganache.
The process for making the financier batter is quite simple:
- Prepare beurre noisette.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Add the egg whites and flavorings.
- Add the beurre noisette.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
Let’s look at each step more closely:
Making the beurre noisette
- Place the diced butter in a small, light-colored saucepan (so you can easily keep an eye on the color of the butter).
- Heat over medium heat, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon or swirling the saucepan.
- The butter will first start to melt then sizzle and foam as the water in the butter evaporates. As soon as it stops sizzling, start stirring constantly and remove from the heat when the milk solids at the bottom of the pan look golden brown and there is a nutty aroma.
Tip: Reduce the heat if needed as it can quickly go from brown to burnt!
- Transfer immediately to a small but wide heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process. You should have about 60 g (2.1 oz.) of beurre noisette. Set aside to cool down a little while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Preparing the batter
- In a large bowl, briefly stir together the flour, sugar, almond flour and salt.
- Add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Mix with a spoon or a spatula until combined.
- Pour in the beurre noisette and mix just until fully incorporated.
Tip: Make sure the butter isn’t hot so the eggs don’t get scrambled.
- Fold in the chocolate chips then transfer the batter to a measuring cup, if desired, for easy pouring.
Tip: If you want to make sure all the financiers have enough chocolate chips, don’t fold them into the batter. Instead, pour a little bit of batter in the pan, just enough so the chocolate chips don’t stick to the pan but are still visible on the surface. Then sprinkle with chocolate chips evenly, before covering with more batter.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 6 cavities of a greased donut pan, about 67 g (2.4 oz.) per financier.
Tip: There should be enough batter to just about reach the level of the donut hole. The batter will puff up a little during baking and close the hole so you can fill it with ganache later on.
Baking the financiers
- Bake in a preheated oven until golden with golden brown edges.
- Cool down slightly in the pan (about 5-10 minutes). Then carefully flip onto a wire rack and cool down completely at room temperature before filling with ganache.
Tip: Chocolate chips might occasionally stick to the pan and make it harder to release the financiers. Just give it a few more gentle shakes and the financiers should come out. Place back any chocolate chips that are on the pan into the financiers if needed.
Chocolate ganache
To make the chocolate ganache, start by melting the chocolate and heating the cream.
Then simply pour the hot heavy cream over the melted chocolate in 2 additions and stir until fully combined.
And your ganache is ready! I like to strain it before pouring it into the financiers, just to get rid of air bubbles and any chocolate bits.
Enjoy!
You Might Also Like
- Hazelnut raspberry financiers
- French madeleines
- Chouquettes (choux pastry with pearl sugar)
- Puff pastry chocolate twists
LOVE THIS RECIPE? I’d be so grateful if you could leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below!
Almond Financiers with Chocolate Ganache
Delicious French almond financiers with a sprinkle of chocolate chips, baked in a donut pan and filled with a milk chocolate ganache.
6
financiers15
minutes30
minutes1
hourIngredients
75 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (2.6 oz., 1/3 cup)
90 g almond flour/meal (3.2 oz., about 1 cup)
100 g white granulated sugar (3.5 oz., 1/2 cup)
25 g all-purpose flour (0.9 oz., 3 Tablespoons)
pinch of salt
90 g egg whites (3.2 oz., from 3 large eggs), at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (or 1/3 teaspoon almond extract), optional
50 g milk chocolate chips (1.8 oz.)
- For the chocolate ganache (optional)
60 g milk chocolate (couverture, 40% cocoa), coarsely chopped (2.1 oz.)
40 g heavy cream (35% fat) (1.4 oz., 2 Tablespoons and 2 teaspoons)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F, conventional setting).
- Preparing the beurre noisette: Place the diced butter in a small, light-colored saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon or swirling the saucepan. The butter will first start to melt then sizzle and foam as the water in the butter evaporates. As soon as it stops sizzling, start stirring constantly and remove from the heat when the milk solids at the bottom of the pan look golden brown and there is a nutty aroma. Reduce the heat if needed as it can quickly go from brown to burnt! Transfer immediately to a small but wide heatproof bowl (with the brown solids) to stop the cooking process. You should have about 60 g (2.1 oz.) of beurre noisette. Set aside to cool down a little while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Grease a 6-cavity donut pan with butter then set aside.
- In a large bowl, briefly stir together the almond flour, sugar, flour and salt.
- Add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Mix with a spatula until combined.
- Pour in the beurre noisette and mix just until fully incorporated. Tip: Make sure the butter isn’t hot so the eggs don’t get scrambled.
- Fold in the chocolate chips then transfer the batter to a measuring cup, if desired, for easy pouring. Divide the batter evenly between the 6 cavities of the donut pan, about 67 g (2.4 oz.) per financier.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 16-18 minutes or until golden with golden brown edges.
- Cool down slightly in the pan (about 5-10 minutes). Then carefully flip onto a wire rack and cool down completely at room temperature before filling with ganache.
- For the chocolate ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a microwavable bowl. Heat in the microwave in short increments (10-20 seconds), stirring in-between, until melted.
- Heat the heavy cream until hot (not boiling) then pour over the melted chocolate in 2 additions, stirring from the center then outwards with a spoon until completely smooth.
- Pour the ganache through a fine-mesh sieve placed over a measuring cup to get rid of any chocolate bits and air bubbles. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to cool down slightly. Then carefully pour the ganache into the financier hole, dividing it evenly between the 6 financiers. Serve at room temperature for a runny ganache or chill first to firm up the ganache.
Notes
- Make-ahead tips: The financier batter can be prepared in advance and chilled for up to 4 days. Baked financiers are best enjoyed the day they are made. Financiers without ganache can be stored at room temperature, well covered, for about 3 days. Financiers with chocolate ganache should be kept in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving, if desired.
- Making homemade almond flour: Mix whole blanched almonds in a small food processor in 1-second increments until ground, scraping the bowl occasionally. Just be careful not to process the almonds for too long so you don’t end up with almond butter. Feel free to use other types of almonds (toasted almonds, slivered almonds etc.) depending on availability and preference.
- Milk chocolate for the ganache: You’ll need couverture milk chocolate which has a higher cocoa percentage (to help the ganache set) and is less sweet than regular milk chocolate. The ganache will be runny warm and will firm up as it cools down but will stay on the softer side. If you prefer a firm ganache, you can decrease the amount of heavy cream used or chill the ganache for longer. Alternatively, you could replace part of the milk chocolate with dark chocolate.
- Using dark chocolate: If you’d rather use dark chocolate, use equal amounts of dark chocolate and heavy cream for the ganache and replace the milk chocolate chips with dark chocolate chips.
- Donut pan: I’m using a 32 x 22 cm donut pan with 6 cavities. There should be enough batter to just about reach the level of the donut hole. The batter will puff up a little during baking and close the hole so you can fill it with ganache later on.
- Cup measurements: Please note that these measurements are approximate. For best results, I’d recommend weighing the ingredients.