Sweet n Salty Nut Brittle

I have not made brittle in years because I have learned that with hard candy comes a hefty dental bill. But in thinking of other easy, homemade gift ideas to give readers for the holiday, I thought brittle would be good choice; though it is perfect for eating all year 'round.

My favorite nuts are cashews and pistachios. So I am going to use pistachios as opposed to the usual peanuts or pecans. I was fairly excited about making the brittle until I realized how long it was going to take me to get the shells off of these pistachios. I am shelling three, eating two...shelling another, eating another. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all. I'm going to be at this all night!

Be sure to keep all of your ingredients handy because this is something that requires you to move swiftly. I highly recommend that you purchase a candy thermometer (Polder 510 Glass Candy/Deep Fry Thermometer, Amazon.com) to ensure the candy is brought to the right temperature. Candy may be stored in a tin or air tight container for a month.

Brittle

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 ounces roasted salted pistachios (may substitute pecans, peanuts or cashews)
sea salt, optional

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, water, butter and corn syrup and bring to a boil. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel is light brown and registers 300° on a candy thermometer, approximately 8-10 minutes.

Remove saucepan from the heat and stir in the baking soda. The mixture will bubble up. Stir in the nuts. Quickly transfer brittle onto a large rimmed, non-stick baking sheet. Using the back of a spoon or spatula spread the brittle into a thin layer. Sprinkle with seat salt. Let cool for approximately 30 minutes. Break the brittle into large pieces.


All photographs are actual pictures of the recipe listed, prepared by Virtually Everything Sweet, and cannot be used without the owner’s consent.