Honey Almond Bites

I love to bake.  Even if I am sunburned to a crisp, I love baking.  I had all day off yesterday and it was wonderful.  The kids and I went to the beach and splashed and played.  I put sunscreen on everyone but me… not so smart.  I know I need to put it on especially at my age.  Before the sunburn really set in, you know, the time before it starts to each and hurt and make you nauseas, that’s when I decided to bake. 

Today’s recipe comes from “Chocolate and Zucchini”, by Clotilde Dusoulier.  I have used this cookbook before, with the Gateau Au Yoaurt, my first blog post.  “Mini-Financiers Au Miel or Honey Almond Bites looked to be exactly what I had been searching for.  You see, a few days ago I stopped by one of my local Middle-Eastern delicatessens to pick up a sweet treat.  I was really hungry for a pastry that I had tried on a previous visit, but I can’t remember the name of it.  It was a rich dense cake, with almonds and honey.  The cake was made completely ground almonds.  Delicious! 

Much to my dismay, the deli didn’t have any of those yummy cakes that day. So I decided that I needed to find a recipe for it.  I have a few Mediterranean cookbooks, I looked through those.  I didn’t have any luck.  I just happened to be browsing through Clotilde’s cookbook and found these delicious looking golden morsels.  I thought maybe that this could be the recipe that I was looking for.  So I decided to give it a go!!!  The results?  Not quite the same, but absolutely fantastic! 

Mini-Financiers Au Miel

Honey Almond Bites

1 cup whole blanched almonds

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the pan

1/3 cup good-quality honey

2 large eggs or 4 large egg whites

1. In a food processor, mix the almonds and sugar until finely ground.  Combine with the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  When it starts to simmer, cook for 2 minutes until it becomes golden brown and starts to smell nutty.  It took longer for me to do this, because I was so afraid I was going to burn the butter.

3. Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until combined.  Add the eggs one by one, whisking well after each addition.  Pour the batter into a 1-gallon food storage bag, squeeze out all the air, and close tightly.  Clotilde recommended doing it this way, because it is easier to squeeze it into the molds.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.

4. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees and grease a tray of mini-muffins. 

5. Remove the bag from the fridge and snip a small portion off one of the corners.  Pressing gently pipe batter into the molds and fill almost to the rim.

6. Bake 12 to 16 minutes, depending on the size of your molds, until golden brown and set.  Let stand for a few minutes, unmold, and transfer to a rack to cool completely.  These honey almond bites should last 4 days on your counter top or up to a month, frozen.  I say should, because mine lasted 1 day.  The little one ate the entire plate in the picture!