A traditional caramelized candy with a Mexican twist that will bring back childhood memories. The medley of roasted almonds, sugar, honey, salt and a hint of vanilla is a perfect bite size treat!
This recipe for Salted Almond brittle is very simple and made with healthy ingredients that we have on hand in the kitchen. It doesn't call for Corn syrup like most other recipes. Though nut brittle is very common in the US and in India, this specific recipe is a Mexican version of it passed onto me by a sweet family through a video call from Mexico. The addition of honey and Vanilla give it a unique flavor. It is called Palanquetas de Cacahuate and traditionally made with peanuts.
No candy thermometer or other fancy equipment is required to make this dish. The key is to add the honey the moment sugar melts and starts looking like honey.
RECIPE
Makes 15 pieces Prep Time 30 min Total time 45 min
Ingredients
● 2 cups Roasted Almonds
● 2 cups Sugar
● 1 cup Honey
● Pinch of salt
● 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Preparation
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Lightly roast almonds in a 12" sauté pan. Set them as aside.
3. Add sugar in the same 12" sauté pan and stir on medium heat until sugar is melted. This takes about 20 min. In the process the sugar will first crystallize before melting, so don't panic.
4. The moment the melted sugar starts looking like honey, add a cup of honey and stir. It turns sticky and bubbly at this point. Just stir for a couple of minutes and it will smoothen.
5. Add in the Vanilla extract and the roasted almonds and stir well. Turn off flame.
6. Pour the the mixture onto the parchment paper lines baking sheet , sprinkle a pinch of salt so it sticks to the brittle and cool till it hardens completely.
7. At this point you can break them into chunks or if you are like me and want to take pics, place a knife and gently tap with a pestle to get the perfect cut :)
Tips
Store in a jar to retain freshness and it has a shelf life of up to a week. You can always replace almonds with roasted peanuts or cashews.
Cleaning the sauté pan: Please don't toss it in the dish washer or you will have candy stuck to it forever :) Add water to the soiled pan and boil it. The candy melts in the boiling water. Just toss the water and clean.