For some time now, I have developed a love for French friands, which are actually very popular in Australia and New Zealand as well. They are soft little cakes made with egg whites and almond flour, often confused with muffins, and indeed they do resemble them a bit! Much like America’s most popular treats, friands are perfect for breakfast, as a snack, or as simple after-meal sweets! Ever since I discovered them, I’ve been eager to make them, but something else always came up! Finally, in these days, I had the chance to bake them, thanks also to the leftover egg whites, and present them for the June edition of the Il Granaio column! They are truly irresistible, so much so that my sweet-toothed husband, taking advantage of a moment of my distraction, sneaked two of them while they were still warm! He didn’t even give me the chance to photograph them properly, but I think these treats speak for themselves! Moreover, in my version today, these friands are enriched with fresh seasonal blueberries and a delicious touch of white chocolate that will make them a real temptation! They are super soft, moist, and literally melt in your mouth. Impossible to resist!!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 10-12 friands
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: French
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it won’t cost you anything extra!
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 3/4 cups type 1 flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 7 tbsp butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 large egg whites (approx. 4 from medium eggs)
- 3/4 cup blueberries (fresh)
- 1/2 cup white chocolate
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Brush
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Mini loaf tins
Steps
Preheat the oven to static mode at 340° F. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a double boiler and let it cool (fig. 1).
Coarsely chop the white chocolate with the knife (fig. 2).
In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients, namely the powdered sugar, baking powder, type 1 flour, almond flour, and a pinch of salt. Mix with a ladle (fig. 3).
In another bowl, combine the unbeaten egg whites with the now cooled melted butter and mix with a hand whisk (fig. 4).
Incorporate the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, flavor with almond extract, and mix until you get a homogeneous mixture (fig. 5).
Line the mini loaf tins or alternatively muffin tins with paper liners and pour the mixture in, filling them halfway. Level, add a few pieces of chocolate and a few floured blueberries (fig. 6).
Cover with another ladle of mixture and garnish the surface with a few more blueberries and pieces of white chocolate (fig. 7).
Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden. Baking times vary greatly from oven to oven, so I always recommend the toothpick test. They should be golden but soft in the center. Turn off and take out of the oven (fig. 8).
Let them cool slightly before serving.
And voilà…your blueberry and white chocolate friands are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from FeFè’s Kitchen!
Storage
👉 You can store the blueberry and white chocolate friands inside a glass dome or appropriate airtight containers. They will remain soft for 3-4 days.
THE COLUMN
Il Granaio–Baking time, is the column that every first and third Thursday of the month proposes a basket full of incredible and irresistible ideas, many recipes that you can go and see by visiting the official pages of Facebook, Instagram and also Pinterest
If you are cooking lovers like us, we invite you to put on your apron and replicate our recipes! If you do, do not hesitate to write to us for advice and suggestions, and to let us know if you liked them, please! Now I leave you with the other interesting and delicious proposals from my talented colleagues:
Sabrina: Bensone
Simona: Mountain Black Bread (with biga)
