Brittle is a type of
confection consisting of flat broken pieces of hard
sugar candy embedded with nuts such as
pecans,
almonds, or
peanuts,[1] and which are usually less than 1 cm thick.
In parts of the
Middle East, brittle is made with
pistachios,[9] while many Asian countries use
sesame seeds and peanuts.[10] Peanut brittle is the most popular brittle recipe in the
United States.[11] The term "brittle" in the context of the food first appeared in print in 1892, though the candy itself has been around for much longer.[12]
Preparation of American peanut brittle
Traditionally, a mixture of sugar and water is heated to the
hard crack stage corresponding to a temperature of approximately 146 to 154 °C (295 to 309 °F), although some recipes also call for ingredients such as glucose and salt in the first step.[13] Nuts are mixed with the
caramelized sugar. At this point spices,
leavening agents, and often
peanut butter or butter are added. The hot candy is poured out onto a flat surface for cooling, traditionally a granite, a marble slab or a baking sheet. The hot candy may be troweled to uniform thickness. When the brittle is cool enough to handle, it is broken into pieces.[14] It is also rare to break the brittle into equal pieces.
Nougatine
Nougatine is a similar confection to brittle, but made of sliced almonds instead of whole peanuts, which are embedded in clear caramel.[15]