Roasting hazelnuts brings out their rich nutty flavor and also makes removing their skin quick and easy. Follow a few simple steps and you will be creating sweet and savory hazelnut recipes in no time!
Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the nuts on a rimmed sheet pan. (Rimmed is essential here so they don’t roll off and onto the floor.)
Roast the nuts for 10-15 minutes or until the skins are cracked and the hazelnut underneath is golden brown. Check the nuts at 10 minutes and if they aren’t done yet check them every minute until golden brown. Nuts can turn from lightly golden to burnt very quickly, so don’t turn your back too long!
Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and when they’re cool enough to handle quickly transfer them to a clean towel and wrap them up. This will steam the skins and make them easy to remove. Allow them to rest in the towel for a few minutes.
After a couple minutes use the palm of your hand and rub the outside of the towel vigorously all over. This will remove the skins from the hazelnuts, so make sure you are rubbing all over and moving the hazelnuts around. Open up the towel to make sure that most of the skins are off. If not, keep rubbing. It’s okay if some flecks of skin remain on the nuts, but most of the thin papery skin should be removed. Pluck the hazelnuts out of the towel and use in your favorite recipe!