Cherry Almond Tea Cakes - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups finely ground unblanched almonds
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 large egg whites
4 teaspoons cherry brandy
24 bing cherries

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffins tins. Place mini-muffin paper liner inside each cup.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to sputter, reduce heat. Cook until butter has lightly browned. Skim foam from top and remove skillet from heat.
Whisk together flour, ground almonds, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add egg whites and whisk until smooth. Stir in flavoring. Pour in butter, leaving any dark brown sediment in skillet and whisk to combine. Let stand for 20 minutes.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup, filling about halfway. Push a cherry in each, keeping stem up. With a small spoon, smooth batter over cherries to cover. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and cakes are golden brown, 12-15 minutes.
Let cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around edges to loosen, and unmold. Cakes can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature overnight.
Makes 2 dozen.