We love using hazelnuts in baked goods, or simply coating them in a sugary-spice blend and snacking on them constantly, but ridding the nuts of their paper-thin peel can be cumbersome. Here is an easier way to do it:

First of all, hazelnuts always peel easier after they have been roasted, the heat loosening up some of that skin. Plus, roasting them is a simple way to give them more flavor before they even go into the cookies. To roast, place on a baking sheet and cook for about 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven.

Now here’s where the peeling part comes in. Remove them from the oven and place them in a colander. (Opt for the meshlike one with smaller holes.) Let the nuts cool a bit, then move them back and forth against the colander so the mesh helps take off the skins. Much of the skin will fall out of the strainer, leaving mostly bare nuts.

Alternatively, you could do the same thing with a wire rack used to cool cookies.

Tricks for cookies

Here are a couple tricks for baking cookies. The first has to do with sticky cookie dough, specifically how to scoop it out of the bowl and onto the cookie sheet without creating a big mess.

Instead of using your hands and rolling the dough into balls (as is often called for), dip an ice cream scoop (or a tablespoon) in ice cold water, then measure out your dough. Dip the utensil in the water after every scoop and the dough will come off easily each time. It will also result in evenly sized balls of dough.

Now, sometimes our cookies bake for too long, and we wind up with black bottoms on an otherwise fine treat. When this happens, break out your microplaner or small handheld grater and grate off the burnt ends of the cookie once it has cooled. Hopefully, the cookie’s recipients will be none the wiser.

— Michelle Stark is the Times food editor