Our favourite ways to use hazelnuts!
Hazelnuts are popular all over the world for their delightful crunch, wonderful texture and deep, resonant nuttiness, which comes to the fore especially when they’re roasted. They’re also a very pleasing shape and size, which makes them perfect for putting in the centre of homemade chocolates. They’re brilliant in all kinds of recipes, both sweet and savoury, and no chef should be without a supply in their kitchen cupboard.
Hazelnuts are sold with or without their skins. There are many health benefits of hazelnuts, and anyone eating them for these should choose the skin-on variety to reap the benefits of the nuts’ antioxidant content, which is concentrated mainly in the skin. A study in 2015 showed that compounds found in hazelnut skins lead to a decreased risk of colon cancer. It’s also been shown in research that hazelnut oil is fantastic to rub into your skin, as it moisturises, leads to an increase in collagen production, reduces wrinkles and protects against sun damage. It’s also superb in salad dressings!
Ground hazelnuts (sometimes called hazelnut flour) contain no gluten, so they’re an invaluable ingredient for gluten-free chefs, and make really excellent biscuits, cakes and bread, adding a luscious texture as well as heart-healthy nutrition and a lip-smacking taste.
If you’d like to know more about how to use hazelnuts, here are some fantastic recipes to get you started….
This smoothie bowl tastes exactly like Nutella! Made from healthy wholefoods, you get all the flavour of your favourite spread but it’s actually good for you!
These chocolate and hazelnut bars are super simple to make. Perfect for batch cooking! They make a great pre workout snack.
Hazelnut & Maple Syrup Pancakes
These gluten-free and dairy-free thick pancakes are drizzled with hazelnut butter and crushed, roasted hazelnuts. A super dessert and the perfect weekend breakfast recipe.
Pesto usually features pine nuts, but here it is hazelnuts which have the starring role in this dairy-free version. The natural fat content of the hazelnut makes a great tasting paste, which has a slightly more subtle flavour than the pine nut.
A supremely simple recipe using rice milk to make this frozen dessert dairy-free. Can be made without and ice-cream maker. Uses roasted hazelnuts and hazelnut butter, topped off with a home made chocolate sauce.
A granola style healthy snack with delicious roasted hazelnuts.
This easy-to-follow recipe makes a batch of aromatic, delicious marzipan which can be rolled into balls with a coating of cocoa and used for teatime treats, or used as the base for 1001 lovely sweet recipes.
Chocolate And Hazelnut Pinwheels
This is a super-simple crowd-pleasing recipe, a delicious pastry treat that can be rustled up in minutes and guaranteed to go down well with adults and children alike! This recipe can also be a savoury dish – just swap the chocolate spread for tomato puree and grated cheese.
The perfect teatime treat, this is easy to make and although it looks and feels like a cake, it’s actually full of excellent nutrition, with the hazelnuts cosying up with plenty of other nut buddies and a host of dried fruit, making each slice full of good things and sure to satisfy any rumbling tummy.
Lovely at Christmas (we know Santa looks forward to finding some of these left out on Christmas Eve), but splendid at any time of year – these delicious truffles are a sinch to rustle up (kids love making them) and will bring a smile to the face of anyone looking for a little sweet treat to go with their coffee.
Hazelnut Avocado Mousse (via littlebirdorganics.co.nz)
A moreish dairy-free dessert with the combined creaminess of soaked hazelnuts and avocado. Yes, avocados can taste great in puddings too!
Cacao & Hazelnut Tart (via thebrightonkitchen.com)
Ground hazelnuts make up the base of this raw, decadent chocolate tart. The perfect dessert to serve at dinner parties!
Nutella Milk (via wallflowerkitchen.com)
Homemade chocolate milk – made from only 5 ingredients. All the flavour of your favourite chocolate spread but made from wholesome, natural ingredients!
Polenta and Hazelnut Stew (via theguardian.com)
A luxurious vegetarian supper made from wild mushrooms, thyme, polenta and hazelnuts.
Skin on, skin off, roasted or raw, ground, in shell, hazelnut oil or hazelnut butter… we’ve got it all! Come and have a look at our huge range of tasty, healthy hazelnuts here!