Baking recipes often call for skinned hazelnuts. Even if there are no specific instructions in the recipe, you may want a lighter cookie dough, for example. Or you may need skinned nuts to use as sprinkles. Or maybe you’ll decide to make the French macaroons with hazelnut flour.
Now I’m going to tell you how to remove the skins from hazelnuts. Spoiler: it’s easy and quick. And this method also works for peeling peanuts. Almonds and walnuts have a different system, which I’ll cover in another post.
Preheat the oven to 190 °C (375 °F).
Place the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven for about 5-7 minutes. Stir the nuts several times during cooking.
When you see the skins on the nuts start to crack, take them out. This will give you skinned but untoasted hazelnuts. These nuts are used to make hazelnut flour, which is added to pâte sablée – a classic French shortcrust pastry dough. And also for any baked goods that are sprinkled with nuts before baking.
But if you want to get toasted hazelnuts, keep the nuts in the oven for another 2-3 minutes while stirring.
After baking, the husks are very easy to remove from the nuts with just your fingers.
If you have a small amount of hazelnuts, allow them to cool slightly, then take a small handful and rub them between the palms of your hands.
If you have a large amount of hazelnuts, take a kitchen towel, spread the hazelnuts on it, cover it with the free edge, and rub the hazelnuts between the layers of the towel.
You’re done!
