Use almost any nut or seed (sesame, pumpkin, etc) to make a brittle.
This recipe is easily doubled (or halved).
What You'll Need
- 16 oz. granulated sugar
- 8 oz. light corn syrup
- salt, to taste
- some water to get things going (maybe 1/2 cup)
- 9 oz. nuts/seeds
- 1/2 oz. butter
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
How to Do It
Bring sugar, corn syrup and salt to a boil with enough water to get things going.
Cover pot with a lid or plastic wrap. Let boil for 2-3 minutes, then remove lid.
Cook this syrup to 265F, then stir in the nuts and butter.
Continue cooking (keep stirring) until the mixture has reached at least the bottom end of hard crack stage (310F), or until the mixture is the caramel color you want. Do make sure it's at least 310 degrees, F, or your brittle won't be. Brittle, that is.
Turn off the heat and then stir in the baking soda. Stir it carefully but thoroughly. It will foam up and look kind of like shaving cream.
Carefully pour onto a silpat lined baking sheet and spread to desired thickness. Let cool at room temperature. Store well covered at room temperature.
Advanced Technique: If you'd like, wear two layers of latex gloves, wait until the brittle has cooled off a bit, and then pull off pieces and let dry separately. This will give you a more delicate end product, and it will have a lovely sheen to it. Be careful, though. It is still very very hot, so pull quickly and don't hurt yourself.
Use almost any nut or seed (sesame, pumpkin, etc) to make a brittle. Or cocoa nibs. Or crushed espresso beans.
Ways to Use Nut Brittles
- Spread it thinly to cool, and you can break it up into shards and use it for garnish.
- Spread it more thickly, you can grate it and make "brittle dust." This is nice because it sort of melts in your mouth.
- Chop it up and sprinkle it on ice cream (or mix it in).
- Layer it with custard.
- Give it as Halloween candy.
- Bake pieces into brownies.
- Fold wee pieces into mousse or ganache and use it as cake filling/frosting.
- Sit in bathtub. Put in face.
