In our post last week on Dried Fig and Nut bars, we mentioned needing to remove the skins from the hazelnuts we were using. If left on, these skins can discolor your baked goods or make them taste bitter.

These days you can find most nuts with their skins already removed. If not, it's simple enough to do yourself. And there are actually two ways to choose from!

Method #1: Toasting

Heat your oven to 400-degrees.

Spread the nuts on a sheet pan in a single layer. Toast them in the oven until fragrant and skins are crispy, shaking the pan once or twice so they toast evenly. This takes 10-15 minutes.

Let them cool briefly and then rub a few of them at a time between two towels. The skins will flake off, leaving you with clean nuts to use in your dishes!

Method #2: Blanching

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Place the nuts in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let the nuts sit for 3-5 minutes and drain.

When they're cool enough to handle, rub them between two towels to remove the skins.

We're not sure why we had so much trouble with our hazelnuts the other day. Maybe it was just a cranky batch of hazelnuts? Next time, we'll try blanching them instead of toasting them to see if that helps!

Related: Folding Egg Whites

(Image Credit: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)