Cherry Almond Tea Cakes

These muffin-shaped cookies use ground almonds, browned butter and egg whites, much like the French pastries, financiers. With this recipe, I place a whole cherry into the center of each tea cake before baking.

Tea cakes are the perfect accompaniment to your morning coffee or afternoon tea. This recipe uses browned butter–you actually cook butter until it darkens in color, intensifying the flavor. The tea cakes’ crispy, almost-caramelised exterior yields to the sweet and nutty center and whole-baked cherry with each bite. Plus, these are small enough to enjoy guilt-free.

Making these adorable, delectable tiny treats is simple. You don’t need any fancy equipment–just a whisk and a 24-cup muffin tin. First, you butter and flour the muffin tin. Don’t use muffin cups because these aren’t muffins! Plus, you want the edges to get a little crispy, which won’t happen if you use muffin cups. Next, melt the butter in a pot and swirl it around until it starts to brown. Skim the foam off of the top and pour the butter into a bowl, leaving the browned sediments behind.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Then, whisk in the egg whites. Once combined, whisk in the brandy and browned butter. Let sit for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, then sink a cherry into each tin. Bake until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool in their tin on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Run a butter knife along the edges of each tin to loosen the tea cakes and remove them from the tin. Allow them to cool completely.  Store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to two days.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.