Product Education
How to Use Hazelnut and Pistachio Spreads in Professional Pastry
Short answer
Bring the spread to 22–26 °C (72–79 °F) so it pipes cleanly, use roughly 15–25 g per filled pastry, and keep it out of direct contact with very wet batters. Spreads are best used after baking or as a swirl in dense batters; for fillings that go through the oven, use a bake-stable filling instead.
Table of contents
What these spreads actually are
A professional hazelnut or pistachio spread is a fat-based product: nut paste, sugar, vegetable fats and, in the hazelnut versions, cocoa. There is very little water in it, which is why it stays smooth in the fridge, resists microbial spoilage and never behaves like a custard or a jam.
That fat base drives every decision you make with it. It softens with heat, firms with cold, and it will separate visually if you whip air into it and then let it sit warm. Treat it as a fat, not as a cream.
If a spread tastes weak in a finished dessert, the problem is usually serving temperature, not dosage.
Get the temperature right before you touch it
Most piping and filling problems come from working with the spread too cold or too hot. Too cold and it tears laminated dough or drags the crumb; too hot and it soaks into the pastry and leaves a greasy ring.
Follow along
0/4 doneOverheated spread that has separated can often be recovered: cool it to about 25 °C and stir slowly until it comes back together. Do not whisk air into it.
Application by application
Filled croissants, brioche and doughnuts
Fill after baking and after the pastry has cooled to room temperature. Injecting before the oven pushes the fat into the crumb and gives you a hollow, oily pocket. Aim for 15–25 g per piece with a long filling nozzle inserted from the end, in one steady motion.
Cake layers and entremets
Use a thin band of spread as a flavour layer rather than a structural one — 2–3 mm is plenty. Because it is fat-based it firms up when chilled, so it also helps a soft cake hold its shape when sliced. Pair it with something acidic or salted to keep the sweetness in check.
Swirls, ripples and toppings
For a marbled top, warm the spread slightly so it flows in a thin ribbon, then fold it in once or twice only — over-mixing turns the marble into a uniform beige. For a topping, spread it while the product is at room temperature and let it set at 16–18 °C for a clean cut.
Baked applications
Nut spreads are not bake-stable in the technical sense. Under prolonged oven heat they thin out, migrate and can burn where they meet the surface. If the filling must go through the oven inside a tart, a filled cookie or a baked pastry, use a bake-stable filling designed for it and reserve the spread for finishing.
Dosage that works in production
Weigh the first ten pieces of any new filled product. Once the team can feel the correct weight, spot-check one in twenty.
Storage and shelf life
Store sealed tubs in a dry place at 16–20 °C (61–68 °F), away from sunlight and away from strong-smelling stock — the fat picks up odours. Do not refrigerate an unopened tub; the temperature swing when it comes back out encourages condensation, and water is the one thing this product does not want.
Once opened, keep the surface clean and always use a dry utensil. Water introduced into the tub is what shortens the life of the product, not air.
Frequently asked questions
Written by
Crave Bake Supply Team
We supply professional European baking ingredients to bakeries, pastry shops and home bakers from our Miami warehouse. Our guides come from the questions our customers ask us every week. Ask us anything.
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