Peach Noyaux – Peach Pit Extract

How to Make Peach Noyaux Extract

I started making Noyaux extract after reading Alice Waters My Pantry (one of my favorite cookbooks!). Noyaux adds such a wonderful almond-like flavor to baked goods and it smells oh so decadent. I ran out of noyaux sometime this spring, and I’ve been impatiently waiting for peach season just so I can make another batch! Homemade noyaux extract is so much more flavorful than store-bought extract, my baked goods just aren’t the same without it. Throughout summer, I keep a bowl on the counter for collecting peach pits, and my kids are well trained to save their pits! Plus making noyaux extract is so affordable, you are literally using something that would have just been tossed in the trash (or compost). The only expense to make this delicious extract is the rum, which certainly costs less than purchasing extracts at the grocery store.

Speaking of rum, I used Sailor Jerry’s spiced rum the last two years and it turned out delicious. I’m convinced that store-bought extracts are using rubbing alcohol (or something equally as unappetizing) because you don’t even need to use a high-quality rum to make a delicious, fragrant extract. I’m not a rum drinker so I just look for a small size bottle on a budget. In fact, this year’s extract is a combo of a couple of rums that were leftover from guests. Please leave a comment if you try another type of rum or a different type of liquor altogether, how was it?

I will fully admit it sounds a little intimidating making noyaux at first. To start, there is figuring out how to crack the peach pits, they are called stone fruit for a reason! Then there’s that pesky little problem that stone fruit kernels contain a little bit of poison. But don’t run away just yet. This extract is so incredibly delicious and adds so much flavor to your baked goods, it is worth the effort. It can be made safely, and there are tricks to cracking stone fruit. Read on to learn how to easily make this deliciously fragrant extract at home.

How to Crack Stone Fruit

I like to go outside for this activity because it’s kind of messy. We have a designated kitchen hammer (it doubles as a bottle opener?) that I use to crack open the peach pits. The kernels look a lot like almonds. I find that gently tapping along the seam of the pit on both sides is enough to open the pit and not damage the kernel a.k.a noyaux. Give it about five gentle taps on each side and the pit should open right up. Easy peasy!

Um poison, for real?

It is true that stone fruit kernels from peach, apricots, plums, and apple seeds contain amygdalin a precursor to cyanide. But keep in mind that noyaux extract is used very sparingly, typically a teaspoon here, a teaspoon there. And a teaspoon probably contains less than 1/4 of a kernel and the extract is dispersed throughout an entire cake or batch of cookies. You would need to eat more than a couple of whole kernels in order for these to be poisonous. Keep in mind that alcohol is a poison too, and I don’t know about you but I am a-ok having a glass of wine. I make noyaux annually, add it to a lot of baked goods (which my kids devour), and we’ve never had an issue with it. Noyaux has been made and consumed in Europe and the Middle East for hundreds of years. Amaretto liqueur is also made from stone fruit kernels. Plus, according to Alice Waters in My Pantry baking the peach kernels releases the toxins and makes them safer.

So is it really as scary as it sounds? Probably not, I mean I don’t freak out if my kid eats an apple seed or two that also contains amygdalin. But certainly don’t go drinking noyaux extract. And do store it somewhere safe away from children. Or if this whole thing makes you a little squeamish, make vanilla extract instead.

Peach Noyaux – Peach Pit Extract Recipe

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Tasty homemade noyaux extract made from the kernel in peach pits and spiced rum. It has an almond flavor and is delicious in baked goods. You can use it in place of either almond or vanilla extract.

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes + 3 months of soaking
• Yield: 2 cups 1x
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

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• Pits from about a dozen peaches, dried
• 2 cups of spiced rum
• Glass jar with lid
• Hammer

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Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°
2. Using a hammer, gently tap the sides of each peach pit until the pit opens up. Extract the kernels (noyaux).
3. Put the kernels on a silicone baking sheet and roast them in the oven for 10 minutes.
4. Let the kernels cool for another 10 minutes. Once cooled add the kernels and the spiced rum to a blender. Blend on high to chop up the kernels, this does not need to be smooth. It will still be chunky.
5. Pour the rum kernel mixture into the jar and tighten the lid.
6. Store the noyaux extract at room temperature for 3 months. Give the jar a good shake every day or so to mix.
7. After 3 months, strain the kernel chunks from the extract. Pour the extract into a clean jar and there you have it noyaux extract!

Erica