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Easy Chocolate Cake

Nuts are a great addition to many Candies. Their crunch can offset chewy or soft candies, while their slightly savory, slightly sweet flavor is a good counterpoint to Sugar and Chocolate. Hazelnuts, Almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, and macadamias are the most common nuts called for in candy recipes, although others can also be used. Because some recipes require Skinning Nut, Storing Nut, Chopping Nut or Roasting Nut, knowing how to prepare nuts for candymaking is essential for successful nut confections.

How to Roast and Skin Nuts

* Hazelnuts: Hazelnuts are commonly sold with their thin, papery skins still on the Nuts, so they need to be skinned before they can be used. The skins are not harmful, but their taste and texture are not desirable in candies or other baked goods. To skin them, first toast them by spreading the Nuts in a single layer on a a baking sheet. Bake them at 325 degrees until they give off an aroma, and their skins are brown and split. This should take about 7-10 minutes, depending on the amount of Nuts. Check the Nuts every few minutes while toasting, and shake or stir the Nuts so they toast evenly. Remove them from the oven when they are fragrant and brown, and allow them to cool at room temperature. Once they are cool enough to handle, rub the Nuts between two clean kitchen towels. The skins will come off with the friction, leaving clean and toasted Nuts. A small amount of skin remaining on the Nuts is normal.

* Almonds: Almonds are sold in various states of preparation: whole, sliced, or slivered, blanched or natural. It is easy to find whole Almonds that have been skinned, but these are typically more expensive than “natural” Almonds, so if cost is a consideration, you might want to skin them yourself. To skin whole Almonds, drop them in boiling water and let them cook for 1 minutes, then drain the Nuts and let them cool. Once they are cool enough to touch, pinch the Nuts between your fingers and the Nuts will slide out of the skin. To toast Almonds, spread them in a single layer on a baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees until they are light brown and fragrant, about 5-10 minutes depending on the amount of Nuts. Check the Nuts frequently and stir them to ensure even toasting.

* Other Nuts: To toast walnuts, pecans, pistachios, macadamias, and other Nuts, follow the same procedure as for toasting Almonds: spread them in a single layer on a baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees until they are light brown and fragrant, about 5-10 minutes depending on the amount of Nuts. Check the Nuts frequently and stir them to ensure even toasting. Always cool your Nuts before chopping them. Nuts have a great deal of oil that has been brought to surface by the heat, and the oil must be allowed to be reabsorbed, or the Nuts could turn greasy during chopping.

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