Written By Catherine Parrott

Friands are similar to the French financier, small almond cakes using brown butter and baked in individual round or oval moulds. Although the financier is typically kept plain, it’s flavour coming from the use of brown butter and almonds, the friand is wide open to additional flavours such as chocolate, fruit and nuts, perhaps because of  the use of melted butter. PERHAPS. PERHAPS.

RECIPE:

FRIAND BATTER

  • 100g UNSALTED BUTTER (Unsalted)

  • 25ml MAPLE SYRUP

  • 110g ICING SUGAR (Sieved, she tends to get clumpy and in this recipe it’ll be difficult to knock the lumps out through mixing alone)

  • 25g PLAIN FLOUR

  • 85g GROUND ALMONDS

  • ½ TSP GROUND CINNAMON

  • 3 MEDIUM EGG WHITES

  • 36 PECAN HALVES

MAPLE SYRUP (For soaking)

BEFORE YOU START…

  • Preheat your oven to 180c (fan oven, 185-190c for other, less powerful ovens)

  • Prepare your baking tins, spraying or greasing with oil before setting aside.

METHOD:

FOR THE FRIAND BATTER…

Melt your butter and syrup together in a pan, leave to cool.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix in the toasted and cooled pecan nuts. Make a well in the middle and set aside while you prepare your egg whites. In a mixing bowl, whip up the egg whites until thick and foamy. Pour into the dry ingredients and fold together until a loose batter. Finish by adding the butter syrup and mix until smooth.

Pour into the muffin moulds 2/3s of the way up. (Using a piping bag makes this much easier and cleaner) Before baking, place three halves on top of each Friand.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden and risen. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the moulds. Drizzle with maple syrup once baked, DON’T BE SCARED TO DRENCH THEM YUM YUM. Leave to cool.

TO SERVE: While still warm, serve either on their own with a coffee for a breakfast bite or with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream if you’re going all in for a dessert.

Catherine Parrott
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