Homemade Hazelnut Butter | Unsweetened Hazelnut Spread

Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a dry baking sheet and roast for 12 minutes in an oven preheated to 150°C / 300°F. The temperature is intentionally low: above 180°C / 355°F, the skins burn before the hazelnut centers roast, giving the spread a bitter flavor. Shake the baking sheet at the seventh-minute mark. Remove the nuts when their skins split and they turn cinnamon-brown.

Put the hazelnuts in a food processor and run it. The mixture passes through three stages: coarse crumbs, then sandy particles clinging to the sides, and finally a glossy, fluid spread. Every 2 minutes, stop the processor, scrape down the sides with a spatula, and let the motor cool. If the mixture is still sandy after the twelfth minute—nuts from a dry growing season yield less oil—add one 5 ml measure of sunflower oil and process for 1 more minute. It is ready when it falls from a spoon in a thick ribbon.