This easy almond financiers recipe are are the perfect mixture of sweet and buttery made with almond flour, egg whites, sugar, and nutty browned butter. These small, French almond flour cakes may easily be made gluten-free with a simple adaptation.

overhead shot of financiers recipe on a wire cooling rack
If you want to marvel at how fast a little tea cake can disappear, these delightful almond financiers are record-setting!

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Easy Peasy French Financier Cakes with Almond Flour

Hands down, almond financiers are a favorite of my easy gluten-free dessert ideas. They are unexpectedly delish, especially given how simple they are to prepare. Financiers are a mini almond tea cake made of butter, almond flour, egg whites, and sugar. Similar to my famous recipe for almond flour biscotti, they cross all gradients of taste and texture – crispy, chewy, soft, buttery, sweet, and salty.

Typically these French pastries are made in small rectangular molds, resembling a brick of gold, hence the name. (“Financiers” are french for finances or banker.) However, no special equipment is required for this recipe. If you do not have a financier mold, simply use a mini muffin pan to produce the perfect two-bite dessert!

Ingredient Tid Bits

The beauty of gluten-free financiers is a simple list of ingredients can yield an infusion of flavor. I dare you to only pop one of these browned butter beauties into your mouth!

  • Browned butter – Although you can use plain melted butter, the nuttiness of browned butter really enhances the almond flour.
  • Almond flour – Use finely sifted blanched almond flour, not almond meal. Some financier recipes use alternative nut flours, such as hazelnut or pecan flour, which would be totally fine here as well.
  • Flour (regular or gluten-free) or Cornstarch- You only need a touch to help bind the ingredients together, so any type of all-purpose flour is fine. For a gluten-free recipe I recommend using Cup4Cup gluten-free flour or swapping out with cornstarch.
  • Egg whites – Makes the small cakes light and airy. Leftover egg yolks may be frozen or use to make a lemon curd to dollop on top!

Watch This Recipe

Let’s Make This Together!

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

Start with browned butter (it’s easy!)

Although you can skip the step of browning the butter for the recipe, it does add a caramel, nutty taste to pair nicely with the almond flour. Plus, it is as easy as melting butter on the stovetop!

Once the butter is fully melted watch carefully. First the butter will foam, then the white milk solids will start to settle at the bottom. Once the milk solids start to brown happens, immediately remove the pan from heat. It’s best to pour the browned butter into a bowl so it doesn’t cook more and burn from residual heat of pan.

image showing how to make browned butter

Quick and easy batter

In a medium bowl whisk together the dry ingredients – almond flour, sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in the egg whites, browned butter, and that’s it! Easy peasy stuff.

the ingredients for the mini cakes in a glass bowl.

Scooping time

Here’s how we make “fancy” mini almond cakes without any “fancy” equipment. Now, I LOVE cookie scoops. I have them in every size because they make scooping batter quick and even. If you have a small cookie scoop on hand, grab that. If not, you can also just use a teaspoon.

Grease a mini muffin pan really well with nonstick cooking spray and drop the batter inside. There’s no baking powder in the recipe, so you don’t need to leave room for the cakes to rise, but if you are topping with a berry or chocolate, leave some room for that.

a small scoop putting the dough in a mini muffin pan.

Top and bake

Simplicity definitely doesn’t leave you wanting here. Financiers are just as good as is or with a simple dusting of raw sugar or coarse sprinkling sugar for a nice crunchy finish.

If desired, top with sliced almonds, chopped chocolate, sliced fruit, or a berry. Bake in a 375℉ oven for 14 minutes, or until tops are golden. Once they are cooled pop them out of the tins and enjoy!

overhead shot of all the mini tea cakes with chocolates and berries on top before baking.
a stack of three financiers on a wire cooling rack
This is a great example of seemingly unassuming dessert absolutely wows you with flavor. It’s right up there with Italian almond paste cookies as a bite of greatness hard to ignore!

They are called financiers because they were baked in a mold pan shaped like a bar of gold. To avoid buying another pan, a non-stick mini muffin pan works great!

Bonus Yummy Ideas

After dividing up the batter in your baking pan, you can place a variety of flavor enhancers on top. For classic French financiers sprinkle with turbinado sugar to enhance the chewy crust, but below are some other options.

If adding anything to the tops, be sure to rest it right on top, without pressing down. As the financiers bake, the toppings will sink down slightly into the middle. For a supreme chocolate lovers version, try these fudgy chocolate financiers.

  • Fresh berries, such as blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries
  • Silvered almonds
  • Chopped stone fruit, such as plum, nectarine, peach, or apricot
  • Chopped chocolate or chocolate chips
  • Mix in 1 teaspoon orange zest to the batter
an almond financier with a bite taken out and chocolate coming out
Almond flour contains a lot of moisture, which helps these bite-sized treats store for a longer time. They are the ideal make-ahead dessert.

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overhead shot of financiers recipe on a wire cooling rack
4.93 stars (14 ratings)

Almond Financiers Recipe (Crisp, Soft, and Chewy)

Melissa Erdelac of MamaGourmand headshot in patterned dress.Melissa Erdelac
Yield: 20
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes
This easy almond financiers recipe are are the perfect mixture of sweet and buttery made with almond flour, egg whites, sugar, and nutty browned butter. These small, French almond flour cakes may easily be made gluten-free with a simple adaptation.
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Ingredients
 

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF and liberally grease 20 mini muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. (Four will be left empty)
  • To brown the butter, in a small skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is fully melted watch carefully and stir occasionally so butter doesn't burn. First the butter will foam, then the white milk solids will start to settle at the bottom. Watch for the milk solids to turn brown. Once that happens, immediately remove from heat. Pour browned butter into a bowl so it doesn't cook more and burn from residual heat of pan. Set aside.
    5 tablespoons butter
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the almond flour, sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in the egg whites and optional extract, making sure there are no clumps of flour. Stir in the browned butter, mixing well.
    ¾ cup blanched almond flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten free flour, ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅓ cup egg whites, ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • Distribute the batter into the prepared pan, filling up each tin about three-fourths full. To do this quickly and evenly, use a small cookie scoop, which holds about 1 tablespoon dough.
  • If desired, sprinkle turbinado sugar on top then place sliced almonds, chopped chocolate, sliced fruit, or a berry gently on top. Do not press down because it will sink down as it bakes.
  • Bake for 14 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until the tops are golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes then run a small knife around the outside of each tin to lift out the cake. Cool on a wire rack. Be sure to lift cakes from tins before cooling completely or they will be hard to release from the pan.

Notes

How to Store:
These will stay good in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week. To store longer, they may also be wrapped securely and frozen up to 2 months.
 
 
Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
Calories: 74kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 44mg, Potassium: 8mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 87IU, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 0.2mg
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