Hazelnut Extract

I love all things hazelnut, hence the cheesecake I posted a month or so ago...hazelnut overload...Nutella, Frangelico, hazelnuts in the crust and the topping, etc, etc. While looking around for hazelnut extract, which I found and used to make a batch of hazelnut liqueur, I experimented with making some extract of my own. After reading several posts about extracts, I came up with a simple "recipe" to try. Here's what I did:

1 C roasted hazelnuts
1 C 100-proof vodka

Roast hazelnuts in a 350° oven for about 15 minutes, but keep a close eye on them, as they can burn quickly, stir occasionally. Let cool and remove any skins. Roughly chop hazelnuts and add to vodka and let sit for at least a month. I let it "steep" for 7 weekes. A lot of recipes I found added sugar or a simple syrup, but that seemed like it would be making a liqueur so I went basic. I think maybe the mistake I made was when I took the concoction out of the pantry, I ran it through the blender to get as much hazelnut as possible. I then strained it through a thin cotton towel, but since the "pulp" was fine, I wonder now if I lost some liquid? It looks a bit milky, but tastes amazing. I ended up with about 1/2 C, which is interesting in light of the fact that I started with 2 C (1 hazelnuts, 1 vodka). Anyway, I'm not sure what I'll use it for, but again it has an amazing flavor.

Steeping

Strained

Interesting color, and it's opaque, almost like a hazelnut milk....

Buon Appetito!