Matcha Financiers with Brown Butter and Almond

Butter browns in the saucepan, the egg whites stay unbeaten, and the batter rests before baking. Together with almond in the background, those details give financiers their character and set them apart from other individual matcha cakes.

For twelve financiers, you'll need 4.2 oz (120 g) egg whites, 3.5 oz (100 g) butter, and about 4 tsp (8 g) matcha. Allow 1 hour 20 minutes, including 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

• Preparation 25 minutes
• Chilling 30 minutes
• Baking 15 minutes
• Cooling 10 minutes
• Total time 1 hour 20 minutes
• Makes 12 financiers
• Tools a small saucepan, two bowls, a sieve, a spatula, a twelve-cavity silicone mold with about 3 tbsp (45 ml) per cavity, and a rack

We sell Essence matcha and choose it for this oven-baked batter. Leave the egg whites unbeaten: whipping them would change the financier's structure. Brown butter brings its flavor, provided you stop before it burns.

Matcha financier ingredients

• 3.5 oz (100 g) unsalted butter, to be browned
• 3.5 oz (100 g) almond flour
• 3.5 oz (100 g) powdered sugar
• 1.4 oz (40 g) wheat flour
• About 4 tsp (8 g) matcha
• 4.2 oz (120 g) unbeaten egg whites, about four whites
• About a generous pinch (1 g) fine salt

How to make matcha financiers

1. Heat 3.5 oz (100 g) butter over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until it turns hazelnut brown.
2. Pour the brown butter into a heatproof bowl.
3. Let it cool slightly for 5 minutes.
4. Sift 3.5 oz (100 g) powdered sugar, 1.4 oz (40 g) flour, and about 4 tsp (8 g) matcha into a second bowl.
5. Add 3.5 oz (100 g) almond flour and about a generous pinch (1 g) salt.
6. Mix the dry ingredients.
7. Pour 4.2 oz (120 g) unbeaten egg whites over them.
8. Fold in the whites with a spatula until the batter is even.
9. Pour the cooled brown butter into the batter.
10. Mix gently until no streaks of butter remain.
11. Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes.
12. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C) without convection.
13. Divide the batter among twelve silicone cavities of about 3 tbsp (45 ml) each.
14. Bake for 15 minutes at 355°F (180°C), until the edges are golden and the centers are set.
15. Cool the financiers in the mold for 10 minutes, with the mold resting on a rack.
16. Unmold all twelve financiers.

Watch the butter solids. As soon as they brown, pour the butter into a bowl to stop the cooking; if they turn black, start again with fresh butter. We'd rather take this time than hide a burnt flavor beneath the almond.

How can you add raspberries to matcha financiers?

For the raspberry variation, put one small berry in the center of each of the twelve filled cavities, about 1.3 oz (36 g) fruit in all. Check that the centers have set after 15 minutes; the fruit can bring a little moisture. We keep the amount small so the brown butter can still be tasted: these aren't very fruity financiers.

Which matcha goes with the almond?

With almond, butter, and baking, we choose Essence matcha for these financiers, whose batter uses unbeaten egg whites. For matcha drunk alone with water, we'd choose according to the cup. Sift about 4 tsp (8 g) with the dry ingredients to avoid overly concentrated patches.

Financiers, muffins, or madeleines: which batter?

If you'd rather skip brown butter and egg whites, plant-based matcha muffins bake directly in liners. Madeleines rest in the cold like these financiers, but use whole eggs and bake in shell-shaped molds.

Our tip. Pour the brown butter into a bowl immediately to stop it cooking. Keep the golden solids; they carry part of its flavor.

Allergens. Eggs, milk, wheat (gluten), and almonds (tree nuts).