Why it works: Nuts and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 19% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,291 recipes. Both carry 2,3-pentanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Hazel-nut Butter
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the nuts
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Place the hazelnuts in the oven for a moment to slightly grill their skins.
Crush the nuts in a mortar until they form a paste.
Make the butter
Add a few drops of cold water to prevent oil production.
Mix in the butter and rub through a fine sieve.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Nuts + buttertop 19% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,291 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Hazelnuts (in the method)
- Provide the main nutty flavour and the oil that makes the paste spreadable.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a smooth, creamy texture as it blends with the nut paste.
The step that matters
Add a few drops of cold water. Grinding nuts releases oil and the friction of crushing warms the paste, which can make the oil separate. A little cold water helps keep the paste smooth and blended.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.