Chestnut financiers

Chestnuts are so underrated, and they shouldn’t be because they are delicious! Boiled, roasted or candied, chestnuts taste amazing, with their soft, creamy and delicate texture. If you want to make me happy over the holidays (or any time, really), get me a box of candied chestnuts! They are to die for!

I’ve been wanting to make a dessert out of chestnut spreads for some time now, but never really got to it. Last year, I made all these plans for a homemade Mont-Blanc. Spent weeks researching for the perfect recipe, planning, buying all the right ingredients, and everything. In the end, I got lazy and my plans went nowhere…

This year, I stumbled on a few cans of chestnut spread while grocery shopping and took it as a sign that I should pull through, this time. Not with the Mont-Blanc, though. That’s way too time consuming. I wanted to bake something simple but tasty. My personnal favorite snacks are financiers, so I decided to give chestnut financiers a try, to see what they taste like. I must say, the result is more than satisfactory! It also helps that this cake is beyond easy to prepare!

Chestnut financiers

Makes approx. 15

ingredients

• 2 cups ground almonds

• 500gr chestnut spread (1 can)

• 4 eggs

• 6 tbsp butter

• salt

directions

1. Preheat oven at 320.

2. Prepare muffin pan with liners.

3. Melt the butter and set aside.

4. Separate eggs yolks from the egg whites.

5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form, and set aside.

6. Still with the electric mixer, mix the egg yolks with the chestnut spread until combined.

7. Add the butter, then the ground almond, mixing well after each addition.

8. Incorporate the egg whites to the mixture, and mix delicately with a spatula.

9. Fill the muffin cases 2/3 full and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

10. Let the cakes rest in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

And that’s it! How simple was that? The cakes are moist, slightly crumbly, with a sweet but delicate chestnut taste. I dusted the cakes with some icing sugar only to make them pretty, but that’s what I like about financiers (aside from being super easy to make) : they don’t need icing or frosting.

Enjoy!

Almond Pithivier

It’s been a while since I posted anything. I must admit that I’ve been stuck in a rut lately and felt greatly uninspired. I felt lazy and only wanted to stay in familiar and safe territory. But a week or two ago, I decided to give myself a big kick in the butt and start exploring new recipes. I still had a great deal of almond flour in my pantry, as well as puff pastry sheets in the fridge, so I decided to make my own pithivier.

Full disclosure, I am still being lazy here as I used store bought puff pastry sheets instead of making my own, but I know my limitations and puff pastry is one of them. Though I am all about exploring new territory, I am not into setting myself up for failure.

Anyhow. What’s a pithivier, you ask? It’s originally a French pastry made of puff pastry stuffed with a sweet filling, usually frangipane, but it later diversified, with different sweet and savory fillings. In my opinion, however, the almond pithivier is the only one that matters. It’s basically very simple to make but its appearance makes it look intimidating and we assume it’s a hassle to prepare. The key ingredient, really, is dexterity.

Almond pithivier

Makes 8 portions

Ingredients

• 2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1 egg and 2 yolks, separated

• 1 1/3 cup almond flour

• 2 tbsp flour

• 2 tbsp rum

• powdered sugar, for dusting

directions

1. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

2. Roll out the puff pastry sheets and cut out a disk in each one. One disk has to be larger than the other. Mine measured 20 and 15 cm. Place each disk on a tray and refrigerate for approximately 20 minutes.

3. While the disks chill in the fridge, prepare the almond cream.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

5. Beat in the egg and one yolk, until combined.

6. Add the rum, then than flour and almond flour. Mix until combined.

7. Remove the disks from the fridge.

8. Spoon a generous amount of almond filling at the center of the larger disk, leaving a 5 cm border around the edge. The filling must form a little mound at the center.

9. Beat the remaining egg yolk in a small bowl with a little bit of water, and brush it around the border.

10. Lay the smaller disk on top of the filling and press its borders down.

11. Lift the lower disk’s border up, and carefully fold it over the smaller disk. Make small folds, pinch them between your fingers and press them down, like you would a pie crust.

12. The filling has to be sealed inside the puff pastry sheets.

13. With a sharp knife, make a small hole in the center.

14. Put the pithivier in the fridge for approximately 20 minutes.

15. In the meantime, preheat the oven at 400°.

16. Remove the pithivier from the fridge and brush the egg yolk over its surface.

17. With the tip of a sharp knife, draw arcs in the top pastry sheet, starting at the center and going toward the outer edge. Make sure you’re not piercing through the sheets, though!

18. Make sure the filling is sealed under the puff pastry and then put it in the oven for 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden.

19. Turn the heat down to 350° and continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes.

20. Remove the pithivier from the oven, turn the heat back up to 400° and dust the pastry with powdered sugar. Bake for another few minutes (4-5 minutes, tops), until the sugar has caramelized and the pastry is glossy.

21. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

For extra indulgence, I like to eat my pithivier with a few spoonfuls of good vanilla ice cream!

Variations

The rum definitely gives the pastry some personality, but if you don’t like the smell or taste of it, just leave it out, but use some almond extract instead (1/2 tsp), for extra flavor.

From then on, use whatever filling you like. Almond is a super versatile flavor that can be combined with any fruit. Pear, apple, peach are all winners.

Also, you cannot lose with chocolate chips!

Have fun and enjoy!

Easy amaretti cookies

A few weeks ago, I woke up with a hankering for something sweet and nutty. Of course, I had nothing that would remotely fit my cravings in my pantry and though I normally enjoy baking, I really wasn’t in the mood for it that time. Work has been stressful and lately, all I want to do during my time off is nap. In the end, my gluttonous belly got the better of me and I skimmed kitchen cabinets, looking for something very easy and quick to bake, just to satisfy my needs and go back to bed.

I had bags and bags of ground almonds and as I was holding them in my hands, wondering why I bought so many of it, a light bulb lit up in my head. Almond cookies! More specifically, amaretti cookies. I love these. It’s like eating sweet, soft, chewy and moist balls of almond paste. There is a little Italian bakery not so far from my home, with an amazing display of various amaretti cookies of so many different flavors. For special occasions, I would often request to be given one of each of their cookies (as well as a few cannolis).

As it turned out, these cookies are super easy to make, so I made a small batch. They were all gone within 2 days.

Easy amaretti cookies

Makes approx. 15-18 cookies

ingredients

• 2.5 cups ground almonds

• 3/4 cups granulated sugar

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 2 egg whites

• 1/4 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

• optional: no more than 1/2 tsp almond extract

• powdered sugar

directions

1. Preheat oven at 300. Stack 2 cookie sheets one on top of the other (this prevents the cookie bases from browning too much) and line with parchment paper.

2. Fill a small bowl with powdered sugar. Set aside.

3. In a bowl, mix together ground almonds, salt and sugar.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk eggs whites with lemon juice until soft peaks form.

5. Add egg whites to the almond mixture and knead with your hands, until you obtain a soft, sticky dough.

6. If you’re using almond extract, this is where you add it. Knead it in the almond mixture, with the beaten egg whites.

7. Roll cookie dough into 1 inch balls and roll them in the powdered sugar until covered.

8. Place balls on the baking sheets, one inch apart from each other.

9. Bake for 30 minutes, until the tops are cracked and the bases are slightly golden.

10. Let rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring on a wire racks, to cool completely.

Aren’t they beautiful? This is pretty much what a no-fail cookie recipe looks like. I normally use almond extract in almost all my cakes and cookies but somehow, in this case, I did not feel like it was that necessary, given the amount of almonds used. If you fear that the cookies will not taste enough, add a little bit of almond extract but be careful because too much of it will be overwhelming and unpleasant.

Variations

From now on, you could create whatever variation you like.

For pistachio, replace the ground almond with ground pistachio. This goes for any nut of your choice.

For chocolate, use 2 cups of ground almond and 1/2 of cocoa powder. In this case, I would use a little bit of almond extract, no more than 1/2 tsp so that it doesn’t overwhelm your taste buds.

For lemon, add 1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice (instead of 1/4 tsp) as well as the zest of 2 lemons.

For espresso, mix 3 tsp of good espresso powder in 1 tbsp of boiling water.

You get the idea.

Now, have fun and enjoy!

Chocolate / black sesame cookies

I can’t really explain it but I am currently obsessed with black sesame seeds right now. I love the color, the taste, the texture, and all I want to do is make desserts with them. I decided to start off easy and bake cookies. I always thought that something was missing from chocolate chip cookies but I never really could pinpoint what exactly. I crave chocolate chip cookies but always end up disappointed, expecting something more. Who knows, maybe the nutty, slightly bitter taste of the black sesame seed is the missing link. Over the week-end, I decided to find out once and for all.

This recipe below is my first attempt at combining black sesame with chocolate cookies. I found it quite satisfying and the people I shared the cookies with really seemed to enjoy them. The cookies in themselves are not very pretty but they are tender and chewy, just how I like them, and the chocolate chunks bring a much welcome crunch to each bite!

Chocolate / black sesame seed cookies

Makes approx. 24 cookies

ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups flour

• 1/3 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder

• 1/3 cup finely ground black sesame seeds

• 3/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/8 tsp almond extract

• 1/2 tsp soy sauce

• 1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chunks

• black sesame seeds for topping

directions

1. Preheat oven at 350 and cover cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, ground black sesame seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix sugar and butter at medium speed, until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.

4. Add eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract and soy sauce. Mix until incorporated.

5. Add the flour mixture and mix at medium-low speed, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

6. Fold in the chocolate chips and chunks with a spatula.

7. With a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop, or a medium cookie scoop, scoop out balls of dough of approximately 1 to 1.5 inch in diameter.

8. Place the dough on the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

9. Press the balls of dough down a bit, to facilitate the spreading, and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

10. Bake for approximately 12 minutes.

11. Leave the cookies on their cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

And that’s it! I did find the cookies very enjoyable but I still feel like the sesame flavor did not shine enough. In the future, I’ll tweak the recipe a bit, and I might try using black sesame paste instead of simply powder. I’ll also have to find a way to make the cookies look a little prettier because these look like weird little sesame paddies instead of cookies. I don’t know what happened!

They taste good, though! If you’re into dry crunchy cookies, look elsewhere because I am all about chewy ones! Though they don’t look the part, these are very tender, with a good bite. I also love combining chocolate chips with chocolate chunks for some texture. Chunks in chewy cookies are simply the best!

Enjoy!

Apple crumble cake

Fall is, hopefully, just around the corner! It’s my favorite season: not too cold outside but just cool enough to wear warm cozy clothes, the air feels fresher and the tree leaves change color into a beautiful fiery red. And, most importantly, we can finally go outside and have fun without feeling like we are melting from under the scorching sun. You might have guessed that summer is probably not my favorite time of the year. The heat is too extreme and the sun is way too strong!

I digress. With fall comes apples. Because I hate apple sauce and don’t particularly enjoy most apple pies or apple turnovers, people tend to think that I do not like apples. That is not true. I eat one every day after lunch. It’s crunchy, sweet and tart at the same time. It’s awesome! What I do not enjoy with some apple based dessert is that they take away what makes the apple so great: its crunchiness. I want my apples to still have a bite! Also, there is something with apples that make people go crazy with the cinnamon. Personally, I find the taste of cinnamon to be overwhelming. If you use too much, you will not taste anything else but the cinnamon. Cinnamon is like bananas. If you put too much of it in a recipe, that’s all you’re going to taste afterwards. Then, what’s the point?

But, I digress again… My favorite dessert to bake during fall is the apple crumble cake. That cake is great because you can eat it guilt-free anytime during the day, from breakfast to late-night snack. Like most of my desserts, I prefer to make small individual portions rather than a big one. It’s a question of aesthetics and practicality. Big cakes are only pretty before you cut them. Afterward, they turn into a crumbling mess. Also, they take forever to bake. Smaller, individual portions not only stay pretty but also guaranty that everybody get an equal amount. So no jealousy.

It took a while to find the perfect recipe for my taste; I had to mix a few recipes together and, after a few trials and error, this one is my favorite so far.

Apple crumble cake

Makes 8 rectangular mini cakes or 14 to 16 muffin-size cakes

INGREDIENTS

Crumble

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 tbsp granulated sugar

• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Cake

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream) room temperature

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature

• 1/2 cup roasted pecans, chopped

• 2 green apples, peeled and cubed

• 1/2 a lemon

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.

2. Grease the tin of your choice (mine makes 8 individual 9 x 6 x 3.5 cm rectangular cakes) and coat it with granulated sugar.

3. Start by making the crumble: in a bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon and melted butter. Then stir in the flour, using a fork. Mix until all the ingredient are incorporated. The crumble will be dry and thick, and if big chunks are forming, good! They’re the best! Set the bowl aside.

4. Peel the apples and chop them into cubes. Most recipes will ask you to make sure that all the cubes are the same size. That allows you to make sure that all the apple pieces will bake equally. However, I don’t care for that. I just peel and cut the apples up. If the cubes are not the same size, what you will get is more texture! Some apple pieces will be softer while others will keep their crunch. Drizzle the juice of half a lemon over the apples and mix thoroughly so they don’t turn brown while you prepare the rest of the cake. Set aside.

5. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars with a stand mixer, at medium-high speed until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes.

6. Scrape down the sides and add the eggs one at the time. Beat well after each addition.

7. Add the vanilla extract and yogurt. Beat at medium-high speed until incorporated, 2 minutes.

8. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

9. Add the flour and the milk to the mixture in alternative steps, starting with the flour. Mix until just combined.

10. Gently fold in the apples and the pecans.

11. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

12. Spoon the crumble on top of the batter and slightly press it down into the batter with your hands. This step is important because it prevents the crumble from falling out of the cake while it bakes.

13. Bake until golden brown, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

14. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool down. Then, carefully remove the cakes from the pan and transfer them on a wire rack so they cool completely.

Look at that crumble on top! Doesn’t it look delicious? The big chunks are the best!

VARIATIONS

If you enjoy the taste of cinnamon, you could add more to the crumble and add a teaspoon into the batter mixture (or more to taste). What you could also do is, in step 2, mix some cinnamon with the granulated sugar and use that mixture to coat the pan!

If you want to add a little something to your cake, caramel sauce or a simple vanilla glaze (confectioners' sugar mixed with cream and vanilla extract) will do the trick. But if you’re tired or feel lazy, go for a generous scoop of good vanilla ice cream!

Enjoy!