Jen Hatmaker asks all of her podcast guests what is saving their life right now.
Right now cooking is saving my life.
It’s been super hot, all the foods are in season, it’s Plastic Free July, and COVID.
This week I decided to finally take the plunge and use the hazelnuts in my pantry to make hazelnut milk. Oh my goodness. I’m drooling and tearing up because I just finished it this morning. It’s SO creamy and delicious. I dank it by the glass, in smoothies, and in chocolate chia pudding. I’m sure it won’t be long until it’s in my fridge again (I want to try it with granola).
A couple of months ago I decided to stop buying almond milk and make my own. Well, it happened by accident. Basically, I tried to make raw almond butter and I didn’t like the flavor. So, now I just put a spoonful of it in a blender with some vanilla and dates and voila zero-waste vanilla sweetened almond milk without any junk and on-demand.
I was feeling adventurous and gave hazelnut milk a try. I used the recipe from Run Fast Eat Slow (aka my favorite cookbook, get yourself a copy and immediately make Superhero muffins).
When you make plant based milk the traditional way you have to extract the milk through a cheesecloth (I use a flour sack kitchen towel) and you’re left with pulp.
Usually, I just toss the pulp. But, as I mentioned it’s Plastic Free July, so I have been trying to reduce my waste in the kitchen, which includes food waste.
I scoured the internet for hazelnut pulp muffin recipes. I wanted one that would go well with the blueberries that were threatening to spoil in my fridge.
I didn’t love any of the recipes, but they gave me guidance for how to incorporate the pulp. I decided to make my own recipe. I make up my own cooking recipes all the time, but baking is unchartered territory. It’s unforgiving.
I channeled my inner food scientist, took a rough guess at wet to dry ingredient ratios, and prayed.
They turned out fabulously! They hold their structure but are moist. The warmth of the hazelnuts with the fresh blueberries is everything I wanted for these mid-summer treats.
Here is how to make the Hazelnut Milk and Hazelnut Pulp Blueberry Muffins, enjoy!
Hazlenut Milk (this recipe is from Run Fast Eat Slow by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky*)
Hazelnut Milk
Equipment
- High speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup hazelnuts
- 5 cup cold filtered water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 dates pitted
- ½ tsp cinnamon ground (optional)
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Place hazelnuts in large glass jar and fill with enough water to cover. Soak for 4 hour or overnight. Strain and rinse nuts under fresh water
- Place hazelnuts and 5 cups of filtered water in a high-speed blender. Blend on highest speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
- Place a folded cheese cloth or single thickness flour sack towel in a bowl to line it. Pour a small amount of the nut mixure into the towel and squeeze the cloth to extract as much liquid as possible into the bowl. Continue this process with small amounts until all the milk is extracted.
- Rinse the blender and pour the hazelnut milk back into the blender. Add vanilla, dates, cinnamon, and salt. Blend brifley until combined.
- Pour milk into a glass jar, seal, and store in the fridge up to three days.
- Save that precious pulp that leftover in the cloth to make muffins (see notes) or add to a smoothie.
Notes
Hazelnut Pulp Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 1½ cup Spelt Flour
- 1 tsp Groun Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Pink himalayan Salt
- 1 cup Hazelnut Pulp wet
- 1 Banana ripe
- ⅓ cup Maple Syrup
- 2 Eggs
- 6 tbsp Butter melted
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with liners (see note)
- In medium mixing bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl combine wet hazelnut pulp, banana, mapel syrup, eggs, butter, and vanilla.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix until well combined. The batter will feel thick, don't panic!
- Evenly distrubute batter into the lined muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Check after 20 minutes by inserting a toothpick or butter knife into one of the muffins. You want it to come out mostly clean, but with a little bit sticking to the tester.
