If you're in the mood for something sweet, salty, crunchy and with a little heat to it -- and maybe a little alcohol too, try some Amaretto Mixed Nut Brittle. This is a recipe I wish I'd shared during the holidays when everyone was into candy making, but better late than never.
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This recipe is adapted from a fantastic Middle Eastern cookbook called Flavors of the Sun, by Christine Sahadi Whelan. I did not get an advance copy, my husband just picked it up for me after work because he knows I love this cuisine. I am still reading the book, and this is the first recipe I've made from it, but it was straightforward and easy to follow. We'll be cooking from Flavors of the Sun for years to come! Now back to that nut brittle.
Amaretto Nut Brittle
This is a crunchy, multi-flavored, nut brittle loaded with different nuts and sprinkled with smoky Aleppo pepper. The recipe calls for a whole cup of Amaretto or bourbon. Normally I'd use bourbon, but I wanted to put a dent in a bottle of Amaretto I bought a while back. The Amaretto flavor was pretty subtle in a good way. I'm curious to see how bourbon works and will get back to you on that. For the nuts, use whatever type you have or grab a bag of mixed roasted nuts. I used macadamia, almonds, pecans, cashews. If you buy pre-roasted nuts, you can warm them just slightly at 300F to help the caramel flow better. I roasted them at 350F.
Storing the Toffee
This recipe would be great for teacher gifts, Christmas, housewarming or hostess gifts. Or just make a batch for yourself and stash it in the freezer. It seems to hold up pretty well there.
Recipe
Amaretto Nut Brittle
Ingredients
- 2 cups assorted mixed nuts (whole almonds, pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts)
- 1 cup Amaretto or Bourbon
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. If you are using nuts that are already roasted, you may want to just heat the oven to 300 degrees to warm them, as the warmth of the nuts helps the caramel flow better.
- Lay the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast them until aromatic (about 8 minutes). Transfer to a mixing bowl and cover the bowl to keep the nuts warm
- Line the rimmed baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
- Combine the sugar, honey, butter and Amaretto in a 1 quart saucepan and heat over medium, stirring often, until butter is melted and sugar has dissolved. Bring to a fairly gentle boil. Insert a deep fry thermometer and cook, only stirring as necessary, until mixture reaches 300 degrees.
- Pour into the bowl over the nuts and stir with a heavy duty silicone scraper or a wooden spoon. Work quickly because the sugary mixture will get stiff pretty quickly. Some will settle on the side of your bowl, but don't worry because it will dissolve in water when you clean the bowl.
- Pour onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with Aleppo pepper and sea salt. Let set.
- Once the brittle has cooled completely, break it into bite-sized pieces.
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