W
hen I’m thinking of brittle candy, one funny thing comes to my mind. I am a great fan of the Emmy Awarded sitcom “How I met your mother” – a comedy that is abundant in extraordinary actors and crazy screenwriters that gave me loads of wonderful laughs. One of those legendary moments is when Lilly, one of the main characters, is declared to be a ‘loud chewer’!
So – when I start crushing my favorite cocoa nibs brittle, I feel like Lilly! :)
What is Brittle Candy
Brittle is a crunchy candy made of caramelized sugar and nuts, such as peanuts, almonds or pecans, or seeds. It is a hard, glossy piece of cooled caramel with roasted nuts that give this candy a special flavor. The most popular brittle in the US, usually made during the Christmas holidays is peanut brittle.
Who Invented Brittle
Nobody knows exactly who invented brittle. However, there is a belief that it happened somewhere in America. There is a legend about one anonymous Southern woman who wanted to make chewy taffy candy, but she added baking soda to the mixture by mistake. The result was crunchy brittle!
The thing is, there are delicious mixtures of caramel and nuts found in many countries, but they are not called brittle. In France there is “nougatine” – a combination of slivered almonds and caramel, in Georgia they have a mixture of caramel, honey, and walnuts called “gozinaki”. In Croatia, we have “krokant” – a crunchy mixture of caramel and almonds that we use to make small ribbons, baskets, and sculptures for weddings.
How to Make Brittle
To make brittle successfully you will need to recall some basics, so if you skipped them, jump off to my post about cooking sugar and make sure to remember all the valuable tips and tricks.
- Have all the ingredients prepared and weighted on hand, and prepare the surface for pouring the brittle once done.
- Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan and start cooking the sugar syrup. Mind the sugar crystals; make sure that all of them are diluted in water.
- When the syrup boils, add glucose and don’t stir the syrup. Put your candy thermometer into the boiling syrup and don’t go anywhere!
- When the syrup reaches 110°C (230°F), add the nuts or the seeds you wish to have in your brittle. The nuts or the seeds should be raw because they will cook in the syrup. At this point, you can moderately stir the mixture.
- When the mixture reaches 155°C (311°F), take it off the stove and add butter, vanilla, and salt.
- At the end add baking soda. The mixture will immediately foam up, so use a large saucepan and be careful.
- Pour the mixture onto a nonstick mat placed on a marble slab, and spread it to be 6-8mm thick (1⁄4 to 3⁄8“).
- When your brittle cools down, break it in pieces and become a proud loud chewer! Welcome to the club!
Cocoa Nibs Brittle Recipe
by:Tereza Alabanda,The Pastry Maestra
PRINT PDF (EN) ISPIŠI PDF (HR)Prep. time : 10 minutes
Cook time : 15 minutes
Ready in 25 minutes
Level : Basic
Ingredients:- Sugar 400g (14oz)
- Water 180g (6.3oz)
- Glucose syrup 290g (10oz)
- Cocoa nibs 100g (3.5oz)
- Butter 30g (1oz)
- Vanilla powder to taste
- Baking soda 5g (1Tsp)
- Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan and start cooking the sugar syrup. Mind the sugar crystals; make sure that all of them are diluted in water.
- When the syrup boils, add glucose and don’t stir the syrup.
- When the syrup reaches 110°C (230°F), add the cocoa nibs.
- Continue cooking, and when the mixture reaches 155°C (311°F), take it off the stove and add butter and vanilla.
- At the end add baking soda and stir well. The mixture will immediately foam up, so use a large saucepan and be careful.
- Pour the mixture onto a paper lined baking tray, and spread it with spatula to be 6-8mm thick (1⁄4 to 3⁄8“).
- When your brittle firms up, break it into pieces and store in a cool and dry place.
Copyright© PastryMaestra.comTM
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