Hazelnut Pie Crust

Hazelnut pie crust is a sweet shortcrust pastry prepared with ground hazelnuts. The dough comes together easily with just a few ingredients and has a subtle nutty flavor. Just perfect for any fruit tart, especially in the months of fall and winter!

I’ve been using this hazelnut pie crust for years with incredible success every single time, so I figured you really needed to know about it too! Easy to prepare and assemble, this hazelnut crust really elevate your fruit tarts to a brand new level (and as I’m writing these words, I’m actually taking a break right now to make it again with the plums from the garden – dessert is going to be a feast tonight)!

Ok, I’m back and really excited to tell you more about this pie crust. I originally used it for my Pear and Chestnut Tart many back in 2013 (this makes me sound like a dinosaur blogger!), and generally speaking it works a wonder for any late summer and fall fruit tart: think apples, pears, plums, figs, blackberries, blueberries, etc. You can also use it as a base for a chocolate tart!

Ingredients for hazelnut pie crust

Like for a classic butter pie crust, the list of ingredients is very minimalistic for this recipe: just 4 ingredients, plus a pinch of salt and some water to help the ingredients stick together.

• Hazelnuts, ground (more details below)
• All-purpose flour
• Confectioners’ sugar
• Butter, unsalted
• 1 pinch of salt

Important note about the ingredients. Confectioners’ sugar is a must in this recipe, making the crust extra smooth in texture. Also, do not try to skip the all-purpose flour altogether and use hazelnut flour only, as the gluten in wheat flour is an essential part and helps the dough to hold its shape perfectly.

Ground hazelnut versus hazelnut flour: which is best?

You could now use either hazelnut flour (also called hazelnut meal), like the Bob’s Red Mill one, or you could make your own hazelnut flour by grinding hazelnuts in a food processor until it resembles to a thin couscous texture. I say “couscous texture” here, as it has a little bit more texture than all-purpose flour (think almond flour/meal but a little bit more coarse).

So which is best to use? Both ready-to-use hazelnut flour and ground hazelnuts will yield fairly good results in this hazelnut pie crust recipe, so you don’t have to choose one over the other one. Just go for the one that is easier for you (ask yourself: Do I have a food processor/a blender and raw hazelnuts? Do I have ready-to-use hazelnut flour at hands?).

How to make hazelnut pie crust?

Now let’s talk about what really matters here: how to make this hazelnut crust! It all happens in one bowl, and is ready within minutes. Here’s how to:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients (including ground hazelnuts) in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the diced butter, softened at room temperature, and press with your fingertips until the dough comes together. Add a little bit of water until the dough forms a smooth ball.
3. Always wrap the dough in plastic film and let chill for one hour before using.
4. Now that your dough is ready, roll it out into a large disk, line a prepared tart tin, pick the bottom and the sides with a fork, and add filling of choice before baking.

Baking tips. It is recommended (but not strictly necessary) to pre-bake the hazelnut crust for 12 minutes before adding filling of choice or fruits. Then bake according to the chosen recipe instruction.

What to use it for?

You can use this hazelnut pie crust as a base for fruit tarts, especially the ones using fall and winter fruits. I used it in this Pear Tart with Chestnut Spread, and also in this simple Apple Galette. Now find below a few other tart recipes for which you could swap the crust with this hazelnut crust:

• Healthier Apple Tart
• Pear and Chocolate Ricotta Galette
• Blueberry Pie
• Strawberry Tart with Pastry Cream

Other homemade crust recipes to try:

• Olive Oil Whole Wheat Pie Crust (used mostly for quiches and savory pies)
• 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
• Puff Pastry (Step-by-Step Guide)

Hazelnut Pie Crust

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 12 mins
• Total Time: 17 minutes
• Yield: 1 pie crust 1x
• Category: Baking Basics

Hazelnut crust is a sweet shortcrust pastry prepared with ground hazelnuts. The dough comes together easily with just a few ingredients and has a subtle nutty flavor.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• ¾ cup (60g) hazelnut flour*
• 1 ⅓ (160g) cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (65g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ cup (120g) butter, softened at room temperature and diced
• 2 to 3 Tablespoons water

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mix together hazelnut flour, all-purpose flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt.
2. Add the softened butter, diced, and mix well until crumbly. Add a little bit of water, just enough to help the dough shape into a firm ball.
3. Wrap the dough in a plastic film, flatten a little with your hand to get a thick disk, and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Rub a little bit of butter to the bottom and sides of a tart tin, then lightly dust with flour.
5. When ready to use, remove the dough from the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, until soft enough to handle but not too warm. Place onto a large sheet of parchment paper and roll it out into a 11-inch (28 cm) disk, rotating regularly to ensure the pastry does not shrink in an uneven fashion**.
6. Carefully transfer onto the prepared tart tin, prick the bottom and sides with a fork, and pre-bake for about 10-12 minutes. Let cool slightly, then add filling and/or fruits of choice and bake following recipe instructions. Enjoy!

Notes

* For homemade hazelnut flour: place ⅔ cup (about 90g) whole hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until you get a fine sandy texture. You should get about ¾ cup (60g) hazelnut flour. If needed, pulse more hazelnuts to match the ¾ cup (60g) reference.

** Troubleshooting. If the dough is too warm after you rolled it out, chances are that it will collapse when transferring to the tart tin. In order to prevent that from happening, I like to place the rolled out dough onto its parchment paper in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Then, you should be able to transfer to the tart to the tart tin easily.

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Lastly, if you make this Hazelnut Pie Crust, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!