Hazelnut praline is a delicious French spread that you can enjoy on its own or use as a filling for cakes and pastries. The combination of caramel and hazelnuts is out of this world and once you try it, you’d want to add it to everything!
What is Praline?
Praline is essentially a paste made by processing nuts and caramel together. You can use the same technique here, for any other nut such as almonds, pecans and pistachios.
How to make Hazelnut praline:
The first thing you would want to do is toasting the hazelnuts. Spread them on a lined baking sheet and toast in 350F for about 15 minutes. Then use a kitchen towel to rub the hazelnuts and remove as much skin as possible.
Then we make the caramel by boiling water and sugar on high until it gets a beautiful deep golden color.
Then we pour the caramel all over the hazelnuts and let it cool down completely.
The last step is breaking the caramel into pieces and processing it into a paste.
This paste is so delicious and hard to resist! You can enjoy it with a spoon, spread it on a toast for breakfast or use it as a base for fillings and desserts.
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How to make Hazelnut Praline Paste
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted raw hazelnut - 150 grams
- ½ cup granulated sugar - 100 grams
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toast them for 15 minutes.
- Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and place them on a kitchen towel. Rub the hazelnuts with kitchen towel to remove their skin as much as possible. Let them cool down on the baking sheet.
- Place sugar and water in a medium sauce pan. I use my 8-inch stainless steel frying pan and it works great. Use a spatula and stir them together slightly.
- Heat over high heat. Slowly the mixture will start to bubble. Do not use a spatula or spoon to stir the mixture, but gently swirl the pan once in a while. Keep a close eye on it. After about 5 minutes, you'll see that the color starts to change. When it reaches a deep golden color, take it off the heat immediately.
- Pour the caramel all over hazelnuts evenly. Let them cool down completely.
- Break the caramel hazelnuts into small pieces and process in a food processor for a few minutes (If you are using the praline for a cake or pastry, you can keep some of the pieces for decoration). You may need to open the food processor lid once in a while and use a spoon or a spatula to push the sides down. After a few minutes, you will see that it turns into a thick paste.
- Transfer the paste into an air tight container and refrigerate. It keeps well in the fridge for 1 month.
