In a medium saucepan with high sides, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 3 tablespoons of baking soda to the water. The water will then foam up.

Add the nuts to the boiling water and boil for about 3 minutes. The water will turn black – this is ok!

While the hazelnuts are boiling, prepare a medium bowl of ice cold water. After three minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove one test nut, placing the nut into the prepared bowl of ice water.

Use your fingers to remove the skin, if the skin doesn’t come off easily, boil the nuts 1-2 minutes longer and try another test nut.

When a test skin rubs right off, add the rest of the nuts to the ice water and peel them.

Place peeled nuts into a kitchen towel or paper towels and dry them thoroughly.

Toast the peeled and dried hazelnuts at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes. This step is so worth it!