Almond Brittle
Almond brittle is a great piece of confection to know how to make. It is so versatile - perfect as a cake topper (you can see the peanut brittle in the cake above) It's gorgeous as a gift when wrapped up in cellophane and tied with a bow. It is gluten-free and dairy-free and you can make delicious variations with a variety of different nuts (peanut, hazelnut or sesame) Once you get the hang of working with the hot sugar you can mix it up in so many different ways. And if you mess up a batch, you will have a burned and messy pot to deal with, but the ingredients aren't too expensive, so you won't feel too bad. And the best part of making it at home is getting to break that huge slab into smaller pieces of candy. It's addictive and delicious. Warning: You may want to eat the whole batch."
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup chopped almonds (can be replaced with a variety of nuts or seeds)
Instructions
- **No thermometer needed. ** (I used mine just as reference, but you should be fine just watching the pot and the color of the sugar.)
- Line a large cookie tray with baking paper. In a medium sized pot, bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil. Using a wet pastry brush (I like the silicone ones) brush down sides of the pot with a small amount of water to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Swirl the mixture occasionally, until golden. On a thermometer this is around 280
- Add in chopped nuts. Cook until mixture is a deep golden color, about 4-8 minutes on a lower heat.
- Pour mixture onto the cookie tray. If it seems very bubbly, don't worry, they will settle. You can tilt tray or spread gently with a flat knife (while warm) to thin the layer of candy.
- Cool, then break into pieces. Store in a dry cool place - these keep for at least one month.
