Filberts are kind of a big deal in my neck of the woods.  Nearly all of US hazelnut production, and about 5% of total world production, happens less than a hundred and fifty miles from my house.  When the kids were younger the local Filbert Festival was a can’t miss community event, and during hazelnut season you’ll find them on everything from salads to milkshakes to seafood in local restaurants.  A prominent local meat producer feeds his pigs hazelnuts just before slaughter, lending a nutty, creamy flavor to the fattier cuts.  You’ve never lived until you’ve had filbert-finished pork belly.

Which is why Minted Filberts, from the 1952 corporate cookbook , caught my eye.  It’s a simple candied hazelnut recipe with an unusual peppermint pairing.  I thought about adding a little bit of green food coloring, but I’m glad I didn’t.  The minty sugar coating turns white and opaque and looks like little puffs of snow.

I was frankly underwhelmed at first taste, but over the course of the next thirty minutes I ended up eating half the batch.   There’s no obvious “wow!” factor – the mint flavor is subtle and they’re not particularly sweet, but both the mint and the sugar really let the hazelnuts speak for themselves.   They’re blanched which gives them a softer texture than a roasted nut, and also a creaminess which the little bit of sugar helps to accentuate.  They’re not a dessert on their own but maybe something you put in a candy bowl for fancy company.   They also make a great topping for chocolate or chocolate mint ice cream.