- V
- GF
- NS
- DF
- View Recipe Key
Easy Maple Financiers (VIDEO)
Easy Maple Financiers (VIDEO)
Aromatic maple financiers are easy to make and use staple ingredients. Enjoy these irresistible French-inspired treats for dessert, at teatime, or as a snack!
This post contains affiliate links. Full disclosure is at the bottom of the article.
Have you ever spotted financiers at a French bakery or pastry shop? These tiny cakes are often presented in small, rectangular form and sold in bags or 4 or 6—very handy to enjoy as an on-the-go snack or offer as a delicious edible gift to hosts and loved ones.
Financiers are tiny, rich French cakes that are traditionally made with almond flour, brown butter, and egg whites. Usually baked in small molds, financiers are traditionally rectangular in shape, but they’re also often made in round molds, such as a mini-muffin pan.
Although I do love a classic financier, these maple financiers hold a special place in my Canadian heart. Maple sugar adds some depth of flavor and an aromatic sweetness to the tiny cakes. The flavor of maple sugar also goes wonderfully well with irresistible brown butter, the “secret” ingredient that makes financiers so delightful. (More on brown butter, below!)
I love financiers because they’re so easy to make. They require staple ingredients, which you probably already have on hand, and they come together really quickly. In fact, as elegant as financiers look, they’re actually as easy as muffins to make. Anybody can make them, including kids!
Making brown butter, called beurre noisette in French, is the only technique that might be unfamiliar to you, but fear not: it’s easy. Brown butter is made by melting butter in a saucepan, then letting it simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until its water evaporates and the milk solids caramelize. Brown butter is incredibly aromatic and gives financiers a truly special flavor.
My maple financier recipe, below, details how to make brown butter, but if you’ve never made it before, refer to my How to Make French Financier article for additional tips and how-to images.
Enjoy these irresistible maple financiers at teatime or serve them as a snack or a light dessert for brunch. Since maple financiers can be made in advance and even be frozen (more good news!), you can also wrap them in cello bags and offer them as delicious gifts to teachers, hosts, and loved ones.
However you serve them or whomever you give them to, be prepared to bake batch after batch: maple financiers are addictively delicious and their size means they tend to disappear in a blink! But after experiencing how easily they come together, I know you won’t mind turning the oven back on to churn out more of these irresistible treats.
Easy Maple French Financiers Recipe Video
Watch how easy it is to make these aromatic maple financiers!
Helpful tips for making maple financiers
What ingredients do I need to make maple financiers?
Financiers require only a handful of ingredients to make: butter, almond flour (i.e. finely ground almonds), all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and egg whites. In the case of these maple financiers, you’ll be using granulated maple sugar to infuse the treat with the unique, earthy flavor of maple syrup. Learn more about granulated maple sugar below.
What is granulated maple sugar, exactly?
Maple sugar is made from boiling maple syrup until the liquid evaporates and the granulated sugar remains. Maple sugar comes in a variety of textures, from superfine to coarse. This recipe for maple financiers uses fine granulated maple sugar (illustrated just above.)
The texture of granulated maple sugar is more uneven than that of granulated sugar, but it acts and dissolves similarly, which is why granulated maple sugar can be used as a substitute for regular granulated sugar in any recipe at a 1:1 ratio.
Granulated maple sugar can be a bit more difficult to find than maple syrup and it can be expensive, too. Look for companies that sell it in bulk, such as Yupik, in Canada, which sells 450 g (1 lb) bags of organic maple sugar for less than CAD $20.
I can’t find maple sugar. Can I use regular granulated sugar instead?
Yes, you can. You’ll lose the aromatic maple flavor, but none of the eating pleasure. Simply substitute granulated sugar at a 1:1 ratio.
What varieties of nuts can I use to make maple financiers?
Classic financiers are made with almond flour—finely ground almonds, that is—but you can use ground walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans, too. Make sure the nuts are ground to a very fine, smooth texture. If you grind your own nuts, make sure to process them along with the maple sugar to avoid turning the nuts into butter.
I think ground pecans go wonderfully well with maple sugar, so this is the type of nut flour I use most often when I make maple financiers. I also like to decorate each financier with a pecan nut for a cute finishing touch!
This recipe uses 4 egg whites. I don’t want to be stuck with leftover egg yolks. What do you suggest?
If you don’t want to be stuck with leftover egg yolks, you can use egg whites from a carton (liquid egg whites) to make maple financiers. Refer to the manufacturer’s packaging instructions to find out the quantity of liquid egg whites you need to substitute 4 large egg whites, or simply weigh the liquid egg whites to use the precise quantity required in the recipe (120 g).
What can I do with leftover egg yolks?
Wondering what to make with leftover egg yolks? Here are some delicious ideas:
- Chocolate Pots de Crème
- Foolproof Blender Hollandaise Sauce (to serve with Eggs Benedict)
- Homemade Vanilla Bean Gelato
Can I make maple financiers in advance?
Yes, you can! In fact, these maple financiers are the make-ahead dessert of your dreams. You can stir financier batter together, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 1 week. This means you can bake however many maple financiers you need, whenever you have a craving for them.
Note that maple financiers are at their very best when freshly baked, or ideally enjoyed within 48 hours. If you haven’t enjoyed the full batch of maple financiers within that time frame (I’d be surprised, but you never know!), you can refrigerate them in an airtight container for up to 1 week. To return refrigerated maple financiers to their freshly baked texture, reheat them in a 325°F (160°C) oven for 5 minutes, then let them cool to room temperature before serving.
Can I freeze maple financiers?
The freezing and thawing process can soften French financiers a bit. If you bake financiers in advance and freeze them, make sure to store them in heavy-duty freezer bags for a maximum of 1 month. Thaw the financiers in the fridge overnight, or at room temperature for 30 minutes.
To return thawed French financiers to their freshly baked texture, reheat them in a 325°F (160°C) oven for 6 to 8 minutes, then let them cool to room temperature before serving.
More French Financiers Recipes
- Maple-Roasted Fig and Hazelnut Financiers
- Cranberry and Hazelnut Financiers
- Wild Blueberry Financiers
Brown Butter Video
Brown butter is an essential ingredient in French financiers. Browning butter is an effortless French technique that turns regular butter into an incredibly aromatic, sophisticated ingredient you can use in savory and sweet dishes. Learn how to make it by watching my short how-to video!
Easy Maple Financiers
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup almond flour, or finely ground pecan nuts (see note)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated maple sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp kosher salt, or fine sea salt
- 4 large egg whites (see note)
- Pecan halves, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- To brown the butter: Heat the butter in a small stainless steel pot over medium heat until completely melted and simmering. Keep on cooking over medium-low heat, swirling the pot from time to time. If the butter bubbles up preventing you from watching closely over the color changing (that’s the water evaporating), lift the pot off the heat for a few seconds until the bubbles recede, then put it back on the heat.The butter is ready when the milk solids at the bottom of the pot turn a light brown color and the concoction gives off a delicious nutty aroma. When it does, remove the butter from the heat, pour into a small bowl, and let it cool for 10 minutes. Watch my short video to see how easy it is to make brown butter.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, granulated maple sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the egg whites and whisk until they are fully incorporated and the mixture is thick and somewhat sticky. Mix in the brown butter, whisking gently at first to incorporate, then giving it a vigorous stir to allow the batter to fully come together. At this point, the maple financier batter can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 1 week.
- Bake the financiers: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a mini muffin pan with parchment paper liners or grease a financier pan with softened butter, then sprinkle with flour and tap out the excess. (Make sure to grease the pan even if it is made of silicone because the texture of financiers tend to be delicate and sticky.)
- Drop 1 tbsp (15 ml) of dough in each mini muffin cup. Garnish each financier with 1 pecan half, if desired. Bake maple financiers for about 12 minutes: the financiers are done when they are golden brown around the edges and set in the center. (If you refrigerated the financier batter, you will need to add 2-3 minutes to the baking time.)Let the maple financiers cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- SERVING: Serve maple financiers at room temperature. For an extra-indulgent maple touch, serve the financiers with a small bowl of warm maple syrup for dipping.
- STORAGE: Store financiers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. You can also refrigerate financiers in an airtight container for up to 1 week, and freeze for up to 1 month. To return cold financiers to their freshly baked glory, warm in a 325°F (160°C) oven for 5 minutes, let cool slightly, then enjoy.
Video
Notes
- You can use different types of nut flours to switch up the flavor of your maple financiers. Classic financiers are made with almond flour—finely ground almonds, that is—but you can use ground walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans, too. Make sure the nuts are ground to a very fine, smooth texture. If you grind your own nuts, make sure to process them along with the maple sugar to avoid turning the nuts into butter.
- If you don't want to be stuck with leftover egg yolks, you can use egg whites from a carton (liquid egg whites) to make maple financiers. Refer to the manufacturer's packaging instructions to find out the quantity of liquid egg whites you need to substitute 4 large egg whites, or simply weigh the liquid egg whites to use the precise quantity required in the recipe (120 g).
- Wondering what to make with leftover egg yolks? Here are some ideas:
- Chocolate Pots de Crème
- Blender Hollandaise Sauce (to make Eggs Benedict)
- Homemade Gelato
Did you make this?
Tell me how you liked it! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it with @foodnouveau on Instagram.
Disclosure Notice: This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
If you click on an affiliate link, I may earn advertising or referral fees if you make a purchase through such links, at no extra cost to you. This helps me create new content for the blog–so thank you! Learn more about advertising on this site by reading my Disclosure Policy.
Author: Marie Asselin
Wow what a great sweet snack. I can’t wait to make them. My kid will love them for sure. Such an easy recipe. Looks delicious.
Kids love financiers! They look like mini-cupcakes after all 😉
All these flavors and combinations go so well together and this is just the perfect and quick dessert to make! They look so cute and I cant wait to make these. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’re gonna love these Ramona!
These Easy Maple Financiers were really good! I actually had not had them until making the other day, and now I am totally addicted to these Maple Financiers. This recipe is a keeper! Have a great day!
Financiers are such delightful bites! The only thing is that they make it really easy to to eat a handful (or three) without realizing it 🙊
Financiers are one of my favorite cookies. I love your recipe, had never heard of maple sugar so I am intrigued to try it. Thanks so much for such a lovely recipe.
Maple sugar is such an aromatic sweetener! It’s my favorite sugar to use in any and all cakes. I hope you can find it where you are Jenny. If you can’t, I can tell you it’s pretty easy to order it online!
I had never heard of financiers but I loved the almond flour and maple sugar flavors in these little cakes. Maple-flavored anything is always my favorite so these disappeared very quickly haha.
I’m not surprised! These maple financiers always disappear in record time at my house, too!
The maple financiers are the perfect small bite treats for pecan lovers. Great for brunches or afternoon treats.
I absolutely love to serve financiers as an afternoon snack! They’re the best.
Just loved this Financiers recipe and gave it a try. My family loved it. Loved the freezing instructions. Also liked the note where it is mentioned about using different types of flours.
Financiers are so versatile! You can use so many flavors and fruits in them. This is why I like them so much!
Those flavours are perfection together! These financiers are like muffins but sooo much better! I bet they smell amazing when they are baking too!
Agreed! Muffins, but way better! 😉
These are so much better than any store bought financier. I love baking them and everyone loves eating them. Perfect!
Homemade is always best. And why not go homemade when it’s so easy?
What a great little addition for brunch on the weekend. I love maple recipes. I know these little gems will be a hit. I might as well make a double batch.
A double batch of financiers is always a great idea! You can keep the batter in the fridge for days, or freeze baked financiers and reheat them just before serving. So handy!