Elegant Lemon Almond Financiers

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 12-cavity financier mold or mini muffin tin with butter.

In a small saucepan, melt the 1/2 cup unsalted butter over medium-low heat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter turns a golden brown and smells nutty (this is called brown butter or beurre noisette). Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt.

In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites until just frothy. Add the vanilla extract and lemon zest to the egg whites.

Pour the cooled brown butter into the dry ingredients, then add the egg white mixture. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared financier mold cavities, filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool in the mold for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.