Peanut Butter Ingots

These are on the Quick-and-Easy list, as befits anything with peanut butter in the title. Did Escoffier use peanut butter? I think not. Translated to Financiers au Beurre de Cacahuetes, however, they sound less quick and easy. Personally, I question whether something should be considered Q&E if it requires making beurre noisette. But, since I already had some in the freezer, I won't quibble.
Well, I'll quibble a little bit because the recipe also requires roasting sliced almonds, preferably unblanched.

I seem to have reverted to the bad old days of not paying attention to directions. I knew I needed almonds to make these ingots, and I thought the recipe specified blanched almonds. But no, it wants sliced unblanched almonds. I started to toast them anyway, when I noticed I had whole unsalted almonds in the freezer, so I combined whole unblanched almonds and sliced blanched almonds. It worked out just fine.

The toasted almonds are processed with powdered sugar, and I will admit that that step is quite easy. I don't like powdered sugar all that much, and I don't like frosting made with powdered sugar at all, which was why I was so amazed to taste a real buttercream instead of what passes for buttercream in church-basement-potluck land: powdered sugar, margarine, and milk. But powdered sugar is just right in these ingots, just as it is in the Christmas cookies called Russian tea cakes or Mexican wedding cakes, depending on your geographical preference.
About 4 large egg whites (which I also had available in my freezer) are beaten just until frothy,

and then combined with the ground-almond, sugar, and flour mixture.

Then begins a five-minute process of drizzling warmed buerre noisette into the batter. I know I said I wouldn't quibble, but a five-minute process of adding butter is probably not included in a recipe that most people would recognize as quick.

Add a few spoons of peanut butter, and you're done. (You could also add praline paste, according to Rose's comments, which sounds considerably less plebeian than peanut butter). (Try this tongue twister: Piles of peanut butter pastry are more plebeian than praline paste pastry.)
I was a little confused by the instructions at this point. The "Plan Ahead" warning says to make the batter at least one hour ahead, but the directions didn't seem to require chilling unless you're making more than one batch, so I just transferred the batter to a measuring cup and poured it in the financier molds. "Poured" makes it sound more liquid than it was: the batter is quite thick. I made 18 ingots because I have two pans, each making nine. A little late, I noticed that the recipe makes 16. This probably explains why a few of mine were a little puny.

After 16 minutes, they were done. I recognize the virtues of the silicone baking molds, but they're also a pain to work with because they're so floppy. I think it's only a matter of time before one of them ends up on the floor at some point in the process, and I don't want to be around when that happens. I suppose I will be though. Around, I mean.

I think the degree to which you're smitten with these financiers probably depends on the degree to which you're smitten with peanut butter.

I thought they were good, but not as good as the classic plain almond financier in the plum round ingots, which is the recipe following this one. I love the delicate flavor of the clarified butter and the ground toasted almonds, and I thought the peanut butter, although it wasn't overwhelming, disguised that delicacy to some degree. On the other hand, Jim, who is crazy about peanut butter, was also crazy about these.

TASTING PANEL:
Jim: "Delicious! They have a nice peanut butter taste--distinct, but not too heavy. I like the slightly crunchy top."
Joyce: "Reminds me of a biscuit--not too sweet, and with the right amount of peanut butter."
Wayne "Subtle peanut butter taste. I like the texture and that it's moist."
Billy "The almond really adds to it. Tasty and light, not too sweet."
Karen: "Really yummy. A light peanut butter taste and just the right size for a snack."