Tag: brittle

Cakes & Bakes: Mixed nut toffee brittle

Home-made mixed nut toffee brittle

We’ve had a whirlwind week; we had visitors come to stay and are currently spending a couple of nights at Justin’s mum’s. I realised that the weekly Cakes & Bakes post would be due and I hadn’t yet made anything.

Sugar syrup using golden caster sugar | H is for Home

Seeing as Justin’s mum (aka Granny Glittens) regularly says how much she likes my peanut brittle, I took the hint and made some mixed nut toffee brittle.

Cooked brittle cooling on a tray | H is for Home

Rather than plain peanut, I found a bag of ‘Best’ mixed nuts in the supermarket and bulked them up with a bag of cashews that I already had in the store cupboard. In the mix were pecans, hazelnuts, Brazils and Carmel and Marcona almonds.

Apparently the latter are:

The ‘Queen of Almonds,’… imported from Spain. They are shorter, rounder, softer, and sweeter than the California variety.

Broken up brittle in a large glass jar | H is for Home

If you’re using large nuts like Brazils or whole walnuts, it’s a good idea to chop them into 3 or so pieces to make them a better size for gobbling up!

Click here to save my recipe to Pinterest

Home-made mixed nut toffee brittle recipe
Mixed nut toffee brittle
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
15 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
15 min
Ingredients
  1. 500g/17½oz caster sugar
  2. 3tbs water
  3. 50g/2oz butter
  4. 250g/9oz roasted mixed nuts
  5. 2tsp bicarbonate of sodaHome-made mixed nut toffee brittle ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Line a large, shallow baking tray with greaseproof/parchment paper. You can grease the tray lightly to make the paper stick to it
  2. Pour the sugar into a large, heavy-bottomed sauce or frying pan
  3. Turn the stove on to a medium-low heat, add the water and stir for about 30 seconds until the sugar has turned to a thick syrup
  4. Stop stirring!
  5. Bring to the boil (still without stirring) allowing it to simmer for 5 minutes or, if you're using a candy thermometer, bring up to the hard crack stage of 146-154°C/295-309°F. You'll see the consistency go from grainy to smooth and shiny.
  6. As soon as you get to this point, turn off the heat and stir in the butter quickly
  7. Add the nuts and stir those in quickly
  8. Add the bicarbonate of soda, again, stirring in quickly
  9. Pour the boiling mixture carefully on to the prepared baking tray and allow it to cool for about half an hour
  10. Break it up into pieces using a toffee hammer or the butt end of a kitchen knife
  11. Store in an airtight container lined with greaseproof paper
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Cakes & Bakes: Peanut brittle

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Home made peanut brittle in a vintage Cathrineholm Lotus bowl with sprigs of holly and fir to decorate | H is for Home

Peanut brittle is a fantastic, quick, easy, last-minute sweet party snack or Christmas gift idea. Just two or three fairly low-cost ingredients and about 10 minutes of your time.

pouring peanut brittle on to a lined baking tray

Perhaps saying it’s easy to make is a bit subjective. I won’t lie, I messed it up on my first attempt. I made the fatal mistake of stirring the sugar when it was boiling – NEVER succumb to the temptation of fiddling with it as it approaches the hard crack stage. It causes the sugar to become grainy which doesn’t allow the brittle to develop properly. Also, keep an eye on it; don’t heat it too quickly or it could quickly overheat and burn.

peanut brittle on to a lined baking tray

The results, when it was done properly, were delicious. The added bicarbonate of soda gives it an airy texture – almost like a Crunchie bar – and makes it much easier on the teeth. The added butter is optional, but it gives it a glossy sheen and a richness of flavour. You can try this recipe with other kinds of nuts such as cashews, almonds, pistachios, macadamias and Brazil nuts – or a combination!

Click here to save this peanut brittle recipe to Pinterest for later

Home made peanut brittle in a vintage Cathrineholm Lotus bowl with holly and fir to decorate

Peanut brittle

You can try this recipe with other kinds of nuts such as cashews, almonds, pistachios and Brazil nuts
Print recipe Pin recipe
Course Snack
Cuisine British

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g/17½oz caster sugar
  • 3 tbs water
  • 50 g/2oz butter optional
  • 250 g/9oz roasted peanuts
  • 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Instructions
 

  • Line a large, shallow baking tray with greaseproof/parchment paper. You can grease the tray lightly to make the paper stick to it
  • Pour the sugar into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan
  • Turn the stove on to a medium-low heat, add the water and stir for about 30 seconds until the sugar has turned to a thick syrup
  • Stop stirring!
  • Bring to the boil (still without stirring) allowing it to simmer for 5 minutes or, if you're using a candy thermometer, bring up to the hard crack stage of 146-154°C/295-309°F
  • Turn of the heat, stir in the butter quickly
  • Add the peanuts and stir in quickly
  • Add the bicarbonate of soda and stir in quickly
  • Pour carefully on to the prepared baking tray and allow to cool for about half and hour
  • Break up into pieces using a toffee hammer or butt of a kitchen knife
  • Store in an airtight container lined with greaseproof paper
Peanut brittle ingredients
Keyword brittle, candy, nuts, peanuts