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Hazelnuts have this incredibly rich, full-bodied flavor that teams perfectly with ingredients like chocolate. But once hazelnut is shelled, its skin is quite bitter, so ideally you want to get most of that skin off before you use the nuts in a recipe. And as it can be time consuming and tedious, here’s a quick tip to do it easily and quickly. The method is to slowly toast the hazelnut in the oven. Not only does toasting bring out the rich flavor of hazelnuts, it also allows you to fry up and remove their slightly bitter skins. Here’s how to do it step by step:
1. Bake the shelled hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet at 350°F (180°C) until they’re fragrant and golden and the skins start to separate from the nuts. It should take from 12 to 15 minutes.
2. Wrap the nuts in a clean kitchen towel and, holding the towel closed, vigorously rub the nuts against each other to loosen the skins.
3. Open the towel and roll the nuts away from the skins. It’s normal if a little skin still clings to the nuts, just peel off by hand.
Magic! Your hazelnuts are now skinned and ready for baking!
(Image: Steffen Zahn, published under Creative Common)
