Salted Maple Hazelnut Praline Butter
Salted Maple Hazelnut Praline Butter
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 14 - 20 minutes
Servings: ~ 12 oz
Ingredients
3 ½ cups lightly toasted (or raw) hazelnuts
⅓ cup maple syrup
Kosher salt, to taste
Flaky salt (to finish)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, add the hazelnuts, maple syrup, and a few pinches of kosher salt (about 1 1/2 tsp). Mix together thoroughly until all the nuts are evenly coated.
Spread the nut mixture out evenly across the sheet pan in a single later. Bake for 6 minutes, then remove the pan and carefully stir the nuts around to encourage even cooking and to ensure the maple doesn’t burn around the edges of the pan.
Bake for another 6 minutes and stir again. At this point, the maple and nuts should look darker in color. Bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, watching carefully, until the nuts are golden and the maple syrup is bubbling less than before (this means that the water has evaporated and the maple will harden once cool).
Allow the nuts to cool completely. Once cooled, the maple syrup will harden and break when snapped.
Add the nuts to a high speed blender or food processor. Starting on low, blend the nuts until they reach a very coarse consistency, and small chunks remain. Remove ¼ cup of the nut mixture at this point and set aside.
Continue blending the nuts, increasing the speed slowly and scraping down the sides as needed, until the nut mixture is completely smooth and runny.
Stir the reserved chunky mixture back into the smooth nut butter, along with a few large pinches of flaky salt.
Pour the nut butter into a clean jar or container. Allow it to cool completely before sealing with a lid. Store at room temperature for up to 1 month, or in the fridge for up to 3 months.