Just Baking

Let’s talk about working with nuts. And no, we’re not talking about family or coworkers.

Anyway, what many novice bakers do not realize is that toasting nuts before using them in a recipe really brings out their flavor. It also helps extend their shelf life because raw nuts can spoil relatively quickly at room temperature.

In the picture you can see coconut, almonds, and pecans. You can tell the difference between the raw versus the toasted.

Here are some ways to think about how to choose whether to keep the nuts raw versus toasting them, if your recipe does not specify.

Let’s say you are making muffins. Many people use raw nuts in their muffins batters. I suggest roasting the nuts first, then letting them cool and tossing them into the muffin batter or cake batter or whatever dough you are working with. An exception to this is nuts used to decorate the surface of a baked good. If you make muffins, for example, and you toss a few nuts on top of each muffin before baking, leave them raw, otherwise they will burn.

Let’s say you’re making a drop or bar cookie. I suggest using toasted nuts, as they will have a nuttier flavor. If you are making a coconut cake, you can use raw flaked coconut, since that is pretty much what everyone will expect - snow-white curls of coconut. However, if you want to try something different, you can toast the coconut for a really nice dark color plus added flavor.

To toast the nuts, spread them out on a sheet pan and put them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until desired color, stirring once.