Almond Friands

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cakes cupcakes Vanilla: Extract Easy

Small oval almond cakes closely related to the French financier, made with egg whites, almond meal and browned butter for a moist center and crisp edge. This is the plain almond version. Makes 12 friands in about 38 minutes.

Prep 20 min

Cook 18 min

Total 38 min

Yield 12 friands

Ingredients

Adjust yield

friands

⅔ cup (150 g)unsalted butter
1 cup (100 g)almond meal
1 ½ cups (190 g)powdered sugar, sifted
6 tbsp (50 g)all-purpose flour
5 (165 g)egg whites, lightly beaten
1 tsp (5 ml)pure vanilla extract
½ tsp (2 ml)almond extract
1 pinchfine salt
3 ½ tbsp (20 g)sliced almonds

Fresh ingredient guides

AlmondsHow to pick, season & nutrition · 188 kcal per 30 g

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Grease a 12-cup friand or mini-loaf pan or a muffin pan well with butter.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, swirling, until it smells nutty and turns golden brown with brown flecks, about 5 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.
Whisk the almond meal, powdered sugar, flour and salt in a bowl.
Stir in the egg whites, vanilla and almond extract until smooth, then stir in the cooled butter.
Divide among the cups, filling about three-quarters full, and scatter with sliced almonds.
Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack.

Tips

Do not overbeat the egg whites; just lightly beat them.
Brown butter smells nutty; stop as soon as the flecks turn amber so it does not burn.
Grease the pan thoroughly or the edges stick.
Good with tea or espresso.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make almond friands?

Plan on 20 minutes of prep and 18 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 12 friands.

How should I store almond friands?

Store in an airtight container up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.

Can I make almond friands ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (5 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

Serve it with tea or espresso.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 12 servings this recipe makes.

233 Calories / serving

15.3g Fat

21.3g Carbs

4.2g Protein

16.1g Sugar

Whole recipe (12 servings): ~2796 cal · 184g fat · 256g carbs · 50g protein · 193g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.