Brittle (food)
Encyclopedia
Brittle is a type of confection, consisting of flat broken pieces of hard sugar
candy embedded with nuts such as pecans, almonds, or peanuts.
A mixture of sugar and water is heated to the hard crack stage corresponding to a temperature of approximately 300 °F (148.9 °C). Nuts are mixed with the caramelized
sugar. At this point spices, leavening agent
s, and often peanut butter
or butter are added. The hot candy is poured out onto a flat surface for cooling, traditionally a granite or marble slab. The hot candy may be troweled to uniform thickness. When the brittle cools, it is broken into pieces.
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
candy embedded with nuts such as pecans, almonds, or peanuts.
A mixture of sugar and water is heated to the hard crack stage corresponding to a temperature of approximately 300 °F (148.9 °C). Nuts are mixed with the caramelized
Caramelization
Caramelization is the browning of sugar, a process used extensively in cooking for the resulting nutty flavor and brown color. As the process occurs, volatile chemicals are released, producing the characteristic caramel flavor....
sugar. At this point spices, leavening agent
Leavening agent
A leavening agent is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action which lightens and softens the finished product...
s, and often peanut butter
Peanut butter
Peanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and parts of Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly...
or butter are added. The hot candy is poured out onto a flat surface for cooling, traditionally a granite or marble slab. The hot candy may be troweled to uniform thickness. When the brittle cools, it is broken into pieces.
See also
- Almond RocaAlmond RocaAlmond Roca is a brand of chocolate toffee butter crunch candy containing a ground almond coating and also almond chunks inside the candy itself. It is similar, if not identical, to English Toffee. It is made by the Brown & Haley Co. of Tacoma, Washington....
- ChikkiChikkiChikki is a traditional ready-to-eat Indian sweet generally made from groundnuts and jaggery. There are several different varieties of chikki in addition to the most common groundnut chikki. Each chikki is named depending upon the ingredients used...
- Frankfurter KranzFrankfurter KranzThe Frankfurter Kranz is a cake speciality believed to originate from Frankfurt am Main, Germany.Preparation starts with the baking of a firm sponge cake in a ring shaped baking tin...
- NougatNougatNougat is a variety of similar traditional confectioneries made with sugar and/or honey, roasted nuts , and sometimes chopped candied fruit. The consistency of nougat can range from soft and chewy to hard and crunchy depending on its composition, and it is used in a variety of candy bars and...
- PralinePralinePraline is a family of confections made from nuts and sugar syrup.-Europe:As originally inspired in France at the Château of Vaux-le-Vicomte by the cook of the 17th-century sugar industrialist Marshal du Plessis-Praslin , early pralines were whole almonds individually coated in caramelized sugar,...
- ToffeeToffeeToffee is a confection made by caramelizing sugar or molasses along with butter, and occasionally flour. The mixture is heated until its temperature reaches the hard crack stage of 300 to 310 °F...