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Chocolate financiers decorated with powdered sugar using stencil.

Chocolate Financiers

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Rich, buttery and incredibly tender, chocolate financiers are delicious little cakes full of chocolate and nutty flavor. The perfect treat any time of the day!

Chocolate financiers decorated with powdered sugar using stencil.
Chocolate Financiers

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Incredibly easy: You just have to whisk the dry ingredients together then add the egg whites followed by the melted butter. That’s it!
  • Wonderful combo: It’s hard to resist the chocolate hazelnut pairing isn’t it? These financiers are packed with roasted hazelnuts for a deep nutty essence and flavored with cocoa powder.
  • Last minute: This is the perfect recipe if you suddenly crave a dessert and have some spare egg whites. It takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients

Picture showing the ingredients used in chocolate financiers.
Chocolate financiers ingredients
  • Ground hazelnuts: Roasted hazelnuts add a very bold and delicious nutty flavor to the financiers. But you can use almonds if you prefer a more subtle flavor. You can grind the roasted nuts in a mini food processor, scraping the bowl occasionally. Just be careful not to be mix for too long so you don’t end up with nut butter!
  • Butter: Unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. Financiers are traditionally made with beurre noisette, where the butter is heated until browned and fragrant. The roasted hazelnuts and cocoa powder already add a lot of flavor to these financiers. So I chose to skip this step today (for simplicity) and just melted the butter. If using almonds instead of hazelnuts, you might like to use beurre noisette. Replace the melted butter with the same amount of beurre noisette. So you’ll need around 65 g (2.3 oz.) of butter to make 50 g (1.8 oz.) of beurre noisette.
  • Egg whites: We won’t be whipping the egg whites today as we would for a meringue. We’ll simply pour them over the dry ingredients. Make sure they are at room temperature.
  • Sugar: White granulated sugar, for sweetness, tenderness and crisp edges.
  • Flour: Just a little bit of all-purpose flour to give structure to the financiers.
  • Cocoa powder: For that wonderful chocolate flavor without the hassle of melting chocolate.
  • Salt: A pinch of salt, to enhance all the flavors.

Step-by-step Instructions

  • Start by melting the butter so it has time to cool down before we add it to the batter.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, ground hazelnuts, flour, cocoa powder and salt. Make sure you break any cocoa powder lumps with the whisk.

  • Time to add the egg whites! Simply pour them over the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula to combine.

  • Add the melted butter and mix just until fully incorporated (don’t overmix). Make sure it’s not hot so you don’t scramble those egg whites!

  • Fill 6 cavities of a greased financier pan evenly and try to smooth out the surface with the back of a spoon.
  • Bake in a preheated oven until puffy with slightly crisp edges.

  • Cool down in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool down completely. Enjoy!
Close-up shot showing inside of chocolate financier.

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Chocolate Financiers

Chocolate Financiers

Recipe by Tanya
0.0 from 0 votes

Rich, buttery and incredibly tender, chocolate financiers are delicious little cakes packed with chocolate and nutty flavor. The perfect treat any time of the day!

Course: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy
Yield

6

financiers
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

17

minutes

Ingredients

  • 50 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (1.8 oz., 3 and 1/2 Tablespoons)

  • 100 g white granulated sugar (3.5 oz., 1/2 cup)

  • 60 g ground roasted hazelnuts (unsalted) (2.1 oz.)

  • 20 g all-purpose flour (0.7 oz., 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons)

  • 20 g unsweetened cocoa powder (0.7 oz., about 3 Tablespoons)

  • pinch of salt

  • 60 g egg whites (2.1 oz., from 2 large eggs), at room temperature

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F, conventional setting). Melt the butter in the microwave (or on the stovetop) and set aside to cool down slightly.
  • Grease 6 cavities of a financier pan with butter then set aside.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, ground hazelnuts, flour, cocoa powder and salt. Make sure you break any cocoa powder lumps with the whisk.
  • Add the egg whites and mix with a spatula to combine. Then add the melted butter (cooled down) in 2 additions and mix just until fully incorporated (don’t overmix).
  • Divide the batter evenly between the 6 cavities then briefly smooth out the surface with the back of a spoon.
  • Bake in the middle of the oven for about 16-18 minutes until puffy with slightly crisp edges. A toothpick inserted into the center of the financier should come out clean.
  • Cool down in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool down completely. Dust with powdered sugar if desired once cooled down. Enjoy!

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 but they can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for about 3 days.
  • Decorating the financiers: You can use a stencil and dust powdered sugar over the financiers. Alternatively, you could drizzle a little bit of melted chocolate.
  • Cocoa powder: I’m using Dutch-process cocoa powder.
  • Ground hazelnuts: Mix roasted hazelnuts in a small food processor in 1-second increments until ground, scraping the bowl occasionally. Just be careful not to process the nuts for too long so you don’t end up with butter. You can use almonds if you prefer a more subtle nutty flavor.
  • Financier pan: I use a 7-cavity silicone pan, about 50 mL (1.70 fl. oz.) of batter per cavity, and fill each cavity almost to the top. You might need to adjust the amount of batter used and baking time depending on the pan you have.
  • Cup measurements: Please note that these measurements are approximate. For best results, I’d recommend weighing the ingredients.
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