Freshly cracked hazelnuts taste much richer than ready-shelled kernels from a bag. With a few simple steps you can get the most out of our hazelnuts in shell – from cracking and roasting to a creamy nut butter.
1. Cracking without splinters
- Nutcracker: Place the nut with the tip pointing up and press slowly – this way the kernel usually stays whole.
- Larger amounts: Put the nuts in a tea towel, fold it over and tap lightly with a wooden board or a small hammer.
- Tip: Warm the nuts in the oven at 100 °C for 10 minutes first – the shell becomes more brittle and opens more easily.
2. Roasting in the oven
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (conventional, top and bottom heat).
- Spread the kernels in a single layer on a baking tray.
- Roast for 10–12 minutes, turning once halfway through. They are ready when they smell nutty and the brown skins start to crack.
- Leave to cool briefly.
3. Removing the brown skins
Put the still-warm nuts into a clean tea towel, fold it and rub the nuts firmly. Most of the skins will come off by themselves. A few leftovers are no problem – they are edible and add a slightly bitter note.
4. Homemade hazelnut butter
Ingredients for one jar: 300 g roasted, skinned hazelnut kernels, optionally a pinch of salt and 1–2 tsp acacia honey.
- Put the still lukewarm nuts into a powerful blender or food processor.
- Blend on medium speed. First you get a coarse flour, then a paste – after 8–12 minutes the butter turns creamy. Scrape down the sides from time to time and give the machine short breaks.
- Finally stir in the salt and honey.
Fill the nut butter into a clean screw-top jar. Stored in a cool, dark place it keeps for about 2–3 weeks. If oil separates on top, simply stir it back in.
How many kernels are in a kilo?
As a rule of thumb, 1 kg of hazelnuts in shell gives you around 400–500 g of kernels, depending on the harvest. For one jar of nut butter (300 g) you need about 700 g of nuts in shell.
Storage
Uncracked nuts keep for months in a cool, dry and airy place. Cracked and roasted kernels are best kept in a tightly closed jar and used within 2–3 weeks.