Sesame financiers

These honey sesame financiers are a delicious twist on the traditional French financier. They use ground sesames and browned butter for a nutty, fragrant flavor. They’re perfect bite-sized treats for snacks or tea time!

I love a recipe that looks and sounds fancy but is super easy to make. Unlike macarons, which are rather fickle, financiers are a far more forgiving French dessert. Instead of using almond flour, this recipe uses ground sesame to add a unique and fragrant flavor.

What are financiers?

Financiers are small almond cakes originating in France, known for their moist texture and buttery flavor. They’re traditionally baked in rectangular molds and made with almond flour, egg whites, butter, and powdered sugar. They have a beautiful crispy outside with a soft, tender crumb.

What makes these sesame financiers special?

Unlike traditional financiers, these are made with ground sesame flour instead of almond flour. They still have they same moist, tender texture but have a sesame flavor instead of almond flavor.

They also have a small amount of honey, to add both flavor and moisture. The honey will keep the crumb extra tender and soft.

Ingredients for sesame financiers

Sesame flour – sesame flour is made using ground up white sesame seeds. It adds flavor and moisture to the final bake

Powdered sugar – powdered sugar adds sweetness, and it dissolves more easily into the liquid base for the batter. I recommend sifting the powdered sugar before adding it to the batter to avoid clumps

All purpose flour – all purpose flour adds a little bit of gluten to the recipe, which is lacking in the sesame flour. This helps bind the ingredients together.

Egg whites – egg whites help bind the batter together without adding any extra fat from the yolk. This helps create a crispy outside with a light, soft inside.

Honey – honey adds sweetness and flavor and also helps retain moisture in the financiers

Browned butter – browned butter adds depth of flavor. You can use regular butter instead of browned butter in this recipe, though you will sacrifice some of the flavor. If using regular butter, use 1 tbsp less than the recipe calls for, since browning butter leads to some loss.

Salt – a pinch of salt adds flavor and helps balance out the sweetness

How to make browned butter

Making browned butter, or beurre noisette, involves a few simple steps:

1. Melt the Butter: Place unsalted butter in a light-colored saucepan (to better monitor the color changes) over medium heat
2. Heat the Butter: Allow the butter to melt completely, then continue cooking. The butter will go through several stages: it will foam, then the foam will subside, and the milk solids will begin to separate and sink. The milk solids will look like small white beads
3. Brown the Butter: On medium heat, stir occasionally and watch closely as the milk solids at the bottom start to turn golden brown and the butter releases a nutty aroma
4. Remove from Heat: Once the butter has a deep golden brown color and a nutty fragrance, immediately remove the pan from the heat to prevent burning. Immediately pour into a separate bowl to stop the heating process
5. Cool: Let the browned butter cool slightly before using in the financiers

Note that when you make brown butter, you will lose a certain percentage of the original butter through the heating process. The recipe calls for 70g of regular butter, with the assumption that you will end up with 55 – 60g of browned butter.

How to make sesame flour

Sesame flour is simply ground up white sesame. You can either grind the sesame seeds using a food processor, or an immersion blender.

To make sesame flour at home, follow these steps:

1. Toast the Sesame Seeds (Optional): For a deeper flavor, lightly toast the sesame seeds. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 5-7 minutes, or until they are golden and aromatic. Alternatively, you can toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until they are golden. You can also purchase pre-toasted sesame seeds from the store
2. Cool the Seeds: Allow the toasted sesame seeds to cool completely to prevent moisture from forming during grinding.
3. Grind the Seeds: Use a blender, food processor, or immersion blender to pulse the seeds until they are finely ground into a flour-like consistency. Be careful not to over-process, as this can turn the seeds into a paste due to their oil content.

How to make sesame financiers

These financiers don’t require any fancy equipment, only a mixing bowl and a whisk!

1. Brown the butter and prepare your sesame flour
2. Mix together the browned butter, honey, and egg whites
3. Add the powdered sugar and whisk until dissolved
4. Add the sesame flour, all purpose flour, and salt
5. Chill for 30 minutes to let the butter firm up
6. Portion into your pan of choice and bake at 350F / 175C until golden brown. The bake time will vary depending on the size of molds that you use. For a standard muffin tin, it will be about 15 minutes

What pan should you use to make financiers?

Traditionally financiers are made in shallow, rectangular pans. However, these are not super common items in your everyday kitchen. Instead, you can make financiers in a muffin tin or other round mold. Try not to overfill, as the financiers should be on the thinner side to maximize the crunchy exterior.

Other French-inspired recipes to try:

• Chaussons aux pommes (apple turnovers)
• French style chocolate raspberry hazelnut cookies
• No bake strawberry pistachio tartlets

If you make this recipe, please let me know! I always love to see what my readers are baking. You can comment below or tag me on Instagram @halicopteraway.