How to Make Hazelnut Coffee?

Nothing unites coffee enthusiasts and nut lovers quite like the delightful deliciousness of Hazelnut Coffee! Whether in its refreshingly simple brew form or its sweet, syrupy thickness, the nutty aroma of this blend is sure to transport you to the cosy atmosphere of the Alps. While coffee ups the refreshment factor, hazelnuts imbue this drink with countless health benefits, making Hazelnut Coffee the ultimate hot beverage.

This is affirmed by the fact that thanks to increased awareness about health and nutrition, the Hazelnut market is expected to grow by £1.896 billion by 2026. While this drink conjures up images of seasoned baristas at warm cafes, you can master the art of making Hazelnut Coffee just as well at home. This blog takes you on an aromatic step-by-step journey towards creating the perfect cup of Hazelnut Coffee. Let's sip in!

Table of Contents

1) A Brief History of Hazelnut Coffee

2) Hazelnut Coffee recipe

       a) Ingredients 

       b) Tools 

       c) Methods

3) Benefits of Hazelnuts

4) Hazelnut Cappuccino

5) Conclusion

A Brief History of Hazelnut Coffee

Hazelnuts come from the tree Corylus Avellana, which originated in Western Asia and Europe. They first became part of organised agriculture in Scotland about 9,000 years ago. People relied on hazelnuts and other categories of nuts to sustain themselves, as meat and other dietary sources were scarce in that region.

The nut's fatty and nutritious composition kept people healthy and strong. Even after thousands of years, hazelnuts remain a dietary staple, although often consumed with little extra sugar today. So, the sugary hazelnut brew likely doesn't qualify as part of the ancient paleo diet.
 

A Hazelnut Coffee recipe
 

Nowadays, Hazelnut Coffee in café is commonly made with flavoured hazelnut syrup. While it is tasty and a staple part of most coffee lovers' routines, it comes with a lot of sugar, fat, and calories. In addition, it is also not the traditional way of making a hazelnut brew. 

Ingredients

Making authentic hazelnut brew isn't hard. You might even have the supplies and ingredients necessary for making this delicious coffee. They are:

a) Lightly roasted coffee beans

b) A bag of shelled, unsalted hazelnuts: You should be able to find these at just about any grocery store, or you can order them from an online platform

c) Sweetener of choice

Tools

Here are the kitchen tools needed for this coffee recipe:

a) Coffee grinder (ideally manual coffee grinder)

b) A coffee maker of choice (ideally French press)

c) A spoon for stirring

d) A heat-safe coffee mug

Methods

While this method takes a little more time than just adding a syrup pump to a cup of coffee, the final product makes it worth it. 

a) Grind and Brew Your Preferred Coffee with Hazelnuts

While using hazelnuts for a traditional Hazelnut Coffee, ensure they are shelled and unsalted. Salt neutralises the bitterness of coffee, so if you wish to avoid altering the authentic taste of the brew, refrain from adding salt. 

Most of the Hazelnut flavour comes from its outer layer, so keep it intact; your drink won't have skin bits of hazelnut. Always start with a ratio of two coffee and one hazelnut, such as 2 tbsp of coffee beans and 1 tbsp of hazelnuts. You can later experiment and play around to find your best taste. Grind the beans and nuts mixture on a very coarse setting, and brew it as you would with any coffee. 

b) Add in the Desired Milk, Cream, and Sweetener

Take a dairy creamer of your choice - whole milk, heavy cream or half and half. If you are vegan, use alternatives like almond milk. You don't need a lot of milk here, only 1 tbsp of either of it, or your brew may become too diluted and lose the taste of hazelnuts. 

As for the sweetness, while using hazelnut flavouring, it may be sweet enough that you don't need to add more sweetener to coffee. While using real hazelnuts, try adding 1 tbsp of granulated white sugar, brown sugar, or a complimentary natural syrup that works well with a hazelnut flavour. Strawberry and raspberry syrups can bring out the coffee's nuttiness. 

c) Add the Final Touch Before Serving

After you fill your glass, if you wish, top it with a small tbsp of ground cinnamon to mix two delectable aromas into one cosy blended experience and get the best notes. 

Wish to make more varieties of popular coffee-based beverages? Join our course in Basic Barista Online and master a variety of popular brews!

Benefits of Hazelnuts 

Today, primarily grown in Poland, the United States, Turkey, and China, Hazelnut is widely popular as an ingredient in baked goods, candy, butter spread, and coffee syrup. However, that's not the only reason why its popularity has grown as these nuts offer a lot of nutritional value. Let's take a look at the benefits that come with eating this nut:

1) Promotes heart health

2) Good for bone health

3) Regulates blood pressure

4) Reduces inflammation

5) Prevents several forms of cancer

6) Strengthens muscles

7) Nourishes skin

8) Improves blood sugar levels

All of these health benefits are due to the nutrients in the nut. Although this small snack may be higher in calories, it is packed with protein, antioxidants, omega fatty acids, vitamin E, fibre, Vitamin B6, and folate.

Hazelnut Cappuccino

If you prefer something other than sweet, fancy coffee, a hazelnut cappuccino may be more your speed. You can make this recipe traditionally, but you can swap ingredients and steps to suit your needs.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

1) Light roast coffee beans

2) Unsalted, shelled hazelnuts

3) Milk of choice

4) Sweetener

You will also need the following equipment:

1) Coffee grinder, spice grinder, or food processor

2) Espresso machine

3) Milk steamer or saucepan

Now that you have assembled the ingredients and equipment, follow the following instructions:

1) Grind the Beans and Brew Espresso: The first step involves grinding the nuts and coffee beans together. But keep in mind that since hazelnuts are oily when ground, you may not want to use your coffee grinder for this. A food processor, dedicated spice grinder or a strong blender should do the trick. For a cappuccino, you must have one part espresso and one part milk, though you can make the choice of single or double shot. Brew the espresso into a mug and put it aside.

2) Steam Milk: Next, you must create steamed and frothed milk. If you have a steamer on hand, you can heat your milk using about ½ cups of the milk of your choice. Otherwise, slowly heat milk on medium, in a medium saucepan stirring often. Make sure you don’t let the milk come to a boil. Once it’s hot, add half of this contents to your espresso.

3) Froth Milk: Ad for the remaining milk, slightly turn the heat up and use a low-hand mixer to beat it. Increase the speed slowly as you go until a foam-like texture appears. Add the remaining foamed milk to your cup.

Conclusion

Making a traditional Hazelnut Coffee with this delicious and straightforward recipe only requires you to have coffee, sweetener, and some shelled unsalted Hazelnut. You can get creative with your hazelnut drink after perfecting the basics of the traditional recipe.

Try different types of creams, milk, vegan alternatives, flavoured extracts, and even additional flavourings like cocoa powder. Add sweeteners like granulated white sugar or maple syrup to your coffee. There is no right or wrong way with hazelnuts; it's just your way.

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