Home > Nut Brittle Recipe: Quick and Easy Nut Brittle Recipe
Author: Veruska Anconitano, Award-Winning Food Travel Journalist, Sommelier & Outdoor Lover
About the author
Veruska Anconitano
Veruska is a a food travel journalist with awards to her credit, such as World Best Food Travel Journalist. She holds a certification as a sommelier and she is also an ardent lover of the outdoors. Aside from this, Veruska is a Multilingual SEO and Localization Consultant and co-owns multiple websites that cater to a global audience.
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Table of contents
- Ingredients for a small brittle
- Method
Nut brittle is one of the most famous candies we have in Italy (we call it “croccante” which basically means “crunchy”); you can usually buy it during fairs but you can also make it at home as the ideal accompaniment to the chocolate covered pretzels, the candied orange peel and the dried orange slices.
The method is really simple and it can be used to prepare brittle of any kind: with almond, pine nuts, mixed with dried fruits of various kinds and so on.
I prepare it only using granulated sugar, but it is also possible to make it with honey. What is the difference between the brittle made with sugar and the one made with honey? It is a difference in consistency: the sugar one is harder because the sugar is caramelised and when it is cold it dries (as in caramelized apples, for example). On the contrary, the brittle with honey is softer because honey does not harden as it happens instead to the sugar.
The traditional recipe involves the use of sugar and not honey since honey makes the crunchy look more like a nougat than a real crunchy.
To make the sugar melt completely, we can caramelize it over low heat, stirring it occasionally; to speed up the operation just caramelize it with water, being careful not to overdo it, for which conventionally 150 grams of sugar (2/3 of a cup) is used for 2 tablespoons of water.
As sugar tends to melt at high temperatures, if your house is too hot it is good to put the brittle in an airtight container in the refrigerator so as to avoid losing consistency. In general, it is stored in airtight containers or wrapped in foil and has a maximum duration of one month.
To aromatize the crisp, you can pass on its surface an orange, a lemon or an entire cedar: you have to do it before the brittle is completely cold so that it has time to absorb the aromas. Someone adds a few drops of lemon directly into the sugar during the production of the caramel but the risk is on the one hand that the aroma is not felt and on the other that the sugar can not caramel at all.
In addition to being excellent eaten alone, it can be broken and used for other desserts: mousses, parfaits, and creams, so as to give this type of desserts the crunchiness that otherwise lacks.
So, how do you make nuts brittle? This is the best nut brittle you’ll ever make.
Ingredients for a small brittle
- 250 grams of peeled hazelnuts (8 ounces)
- 250 grams of granulated sugar (1 cup)
- Water (optional)
Method
- Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for about 10 minutes. Take them out and set them aside.
- Prepare the caramel by melting the sugar over medium-low heat until it becomes amber-colored (to speed up the process add a little water, calculating 2 tablespoons of water for every 150 grams of sugar aka 2 tablespoons of water every 2/3 of a cup)
- When the caramel is ready, pour the toasted hazelnuts and mix well.
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spread some seed oil on the surface.
- Pour the caramel and hazelnuts, then cover with another sheet of parchment paper, level well with your hands or a kitchen rolling pin.
- Remove the parchment paper, allow the caramel to cool completely so that it settles. Once cold, cut the brittle into pieces and serve or wrap it to give it away.
Preparation time: 3 hours
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FAQs
The main reason why peanut brittle doesn't get hard and have the crunch we expect is because the sugar was not cooked long enough. The sugar needs to be cooked to what is called the hard crack stage, 300ºF.
What happens when you add baking soda to peanut brittle? ›
Baking soda is also very important at this stage since it reacts to the heat, creating carbon dioxide that aerates the caramel, enabling it to snap when someone bites into it rather than requiring them to gnaw at it until it breaks or pulls apart.
How do you keep peanut brittle crispy? ›
Lastly, avoid making brittle in a humid environment. The candy will attract moisture from the air, making it unpleasantly sticky instead of shatteringly crisp. Once it's completely cool, transfer it to an airtight container.
How do you make peanut brittle not sticky? ›
Let the brittle completely cool and then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container or a plastic freezer bag as this will prevent the brittle from becoming sticky and breaking down.
What makes peanut brittle too hard? ›
Why is it too hard? Using baking soda usually prevents peanut brittle from being too, well, brittle. However, if you cook the candy past the set temperature or overwork the candy once you spread it out onto the cookie sheet, that can cause it to become very hard and difficult to bite through.
What makes brittle hard? ›
What Makes it Brittle? The sugar will be cooked to 300ºF (149ºC)—hard crack stage; which when set up would be hard like a lollipop. But peanut brittle is delicate and you can easily bite into it—how? The secret is in the baking soda.
Why didn't my peanut brittle set? ›
Why didn't my homemade peanut brittle get hard? Same answer as the question above. If your peanut brittle is not hardening, it's because the sugar mixture did not get hot enough to properly caramelize, cool and become hard, crisp and crunchy.
Why is my peanut brittle not airy? ›
Working quickly, pour into prepared 10×15 pan. To keep the brittle light and airy, do not spread or flatten the mixture. Instead, let it flow freely. Place in a cool area and leave until completely cooled, about 2-3 hours.
Can you use parchment paper when making peanut brittle? ›
You will want the cookie sheet to be non-stick. Use parchment paper, a silicone baking sheet or a greased cookie sheet. Spread the peanut brittle as thin as you can. Immediately add your sea salt.
Can you redo peanut brittle? ›
Reviving stale peanut brittle is possible to some extent. You can try placing the stale peanut brittle on a baking sheet and gently heating it in an oven at a low temperature, around 250°F (120°C), for a few minutes. This can help to soften it a bit and restore some of its original texture.
Heavy 6 quart Dutch Oven pot. Mine is an old 1970's Club Aluminum. It's perfect! You need a heavy THICK pot so it won't scorch.
Why is my peanut brittle like taffy? ›
Didn't get it hot enough. You have to hit hard crack stage heat or it's not going to harden. From internet: Hard-Crack Stage is a cooking term meaning that a sugar syrup being heated has reached 149 – 154 C (300 – 310 F.) It is a test of how hot a sugar syrup is, and of how much water is left in it.
Why is my brittle grainy? ›
Crystallization can be caused by an incomplete wash-down of the kettle, mixing blade and other utensils used while making brittle. This means not all sugars have dissolved which will create a grainy texture. Sticky brittle could be the result of undercooking the batch, creating higher than desired moisture content.
Why is my brittle chewy? ›
This is a temperature issue. Make sure the candy reaches exactly 300ºF / 149ºC, which is hard crack stage, before pouring onto baking sheet. See “Equipment Used to Make Peanut Brittle” for my recommended thermometer. If you're peanut brittle is still chewy after it cools, you may be able to save it!
Why is my peanut brittle still soft? ›
Didn't combine ingredients right. Didn't get it hot enough. You have to hit hard crack stage heat or it's not going to harden.
Why are my peanuts not getting soft? ›
Dried peanuts may require boiling up to 24 hours until they soften. If your water is hard, full of minerals, or you are boiling at high altitude, then your boiling times for dried peanuts may be greater than 24 hours.
How long does it take for brittle to harden? ›
Don't try to spread the candy once it's on the baking sheet as it starts hardening almost immediately and spreading it doesn't work well. Let the peanut brittle cool for 30 minutes, then break it into pieces. Store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two months.
Why did my peanut butter fudge not get hard? ›
The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.
