How to Peel Hazelnuts

If you've ever struggled to remove the pesky skins off toasted hazelnuts, you know it's a maddening process that makes a huge mess.  Little pieces of papery hazelnut skin fly all over the place and no matter how hard you try, you can never get it all off.  But I want to tell you, there's a much easier way.  I shared this technique a couple of years ago when I made Nocciola Baci.  I'd seen Alice Medrich teach Julia Child the technique many years ago.  I'm amazed more people don't know about it.  Since the busy baking season will soon be upon us, I thought now would be a good time to share again.

Start with yummy hazelnuts.  Do you call them hazelnuts or filberts?  

We're going to need boiling water and....

....and baking soda.  Yes, baking soda.  Trust me, it works!

So when the water begins to boil, add the baking soda.  The mixture should bubble furiously.

Add the hazelnuts and boil for a few minutes until the skins are easily removed. 

Be careful, the mixture will foam a lot and it boils over easily.  As you can see in the photo, that happened to me when I turned my back for just a moment.   Don't be alarmed when you notice the water turning black.  Totally normal.

Keep the temp low and stir, stir, stir.  That seems to help keep the mixture from overflowing.  If at any time the bubbles get close to the top of the pan, lift the pan off the heat until the bubbles subside.

The hazelnuts are ready to go when the skin slips off easily.  Looks like mine are ready.  Strain and rinse them in cool water, slipping the skins off as you go.

4 done, 400 more to go.  The hazelnuts are now "blanched".  Allow them to dry and use them as they are or toast them to deepen their flavor.

Toast them in a hot skillet or pop them in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes.   Cool completely before using. 

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• hazelnuts https://amzn.to/3rfHpnD

• nonreactive saucepan https://amzn.to/3Grfndf

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3ob29dY

• silpat liner https://amzn.to/3ISEKGu

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How to Blanch, Peel, or Skin Hazelnuts

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups water

• 3 tablespoons baking soda

• 1 cup hazelnuts

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil in a non-reactive saucepan.

2. Add baking soda and hazelnuts; boil 2-3 minutes or until skins easily slip off (stir and adjust heat frequently to prevent mixture from boiling over).

3. Strain and rinse nuts under cold water.

4. Pinch skins off nuts; allow to dry completely.

Notes:

• This technique creates a lot of foamy bubbles so use a large saucepan to prevent the chances of the mixture boiling over and making a mess on your cooktop.

• To toast blanched hazelnuts, place on a half sheet pan and bake in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes, tossing every 5 minutes. Cool completely before using.

Candied Pecans

Hi Everyone.  It's time for this month's Secret Recipe Club, where each month, a group of bloggers are assigned a blog, and we get to choose a recipe from that blog to feature on our own blogs, then we all reveal our assigned blogs on the same day.

This month I was assigned the blog:  Smells Like Brownies by Melissa.  Melissa is a stay-at-home wife and mother of two, and her favorite thing to do is share delicious food with her family and friends.  

Melissa's blog is only 4 years old, but she has an impressive catalog of recipes to choose from.  I had a particularly busy week so I needed to find a simple and fast recipe to prepare for this month's reveal.  The Black Bean Hummus sounded really good, so did the Salmon Mousse (definitely going to make that one), and if I had had time, the Maple Coconut Granola has my name written all over it, and I would have tried the Homemade Mozzarella, but in the end, time was a huge factor so I chose Candied Pecans which I plan to share with family during the upcoming holidays.  These nuts are addictive - the only thing I'd do differently next time is make more!  

Thanks Melissa - these candied pecans are the bomb!

Start by lightly toasting the halved pecans in the oven.

Make a sugar praline-like syrup syrup.

Add pure vanilla extract (use the best!).

Add the toasted pecans to the caramelized sugar syrup.

Toss well to coat.

Pour coated pecans onto a silicone lined sheet pan; spreading them out into a single layer.

Bake in oven, tossing every 10 minutes until the sugar crystallizes. 

Totally addictive - sorry I didn't make a double batch!  

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• pecan halves https://amzn.to/3g7Kr71

• nonstick saucepan https://amzn.to/3HhiOUL

• silicone coated whisk https://amzn.to/3IQVyxy

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3KYKWyv

• silpat liner https://amzn.to/3s3oT0P

• candy thermometer https://amzn.to/34fnzzH

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3r9wNGK

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Candied Pecans

makes 1 1/2 cups

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves

• 1/2 tablespoon butter

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup water

• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper or a Silpat liner and preheat the oven to 250F (yes, 250F).

2. Spread pecan halves on prepared sheet pan and toast in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

3. In a small saucepan (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat, combine butter, sugar, water, salt, and cinnamon (use a silicone coated whisk if you have a hard time breaking up the clumps of cinnamon).

4. As soon as the sugar is completely dissolved, stop stirring and insert a candy thermometer.

5. Continue cooking, without stirring, until the temperature of the sugar syrup reaches 246F (soft ball stage).

6. Remove sugar syrup from heat and stir in vanilla, followed by the toasted pecans; toss until pecans are completely coated.

7. Pour coated pecans onto prepared sheet pan, spreading into a single layer.

8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Note

• To check if your candy thermometer is properly calibrated, use this online calculator to see what the boiling point of water is based on the elevation of your zip code (US residents). Simply plug in your zip code to get your elevation. Once you have your elevation, use the same calculator to see what temperature water will boil at that elevation. For example, according to my zip code, my elevation is about 900 feet above sea level. That means my thermometer should indicate 210F at the point water boils. If my candy thermometer indicates a difference, I would have to add or subtract that difference from my target temperature.