Sunday, October 24, 2010

Macadamia Nut Brittle-Bake sale #1


Around this time of the year my son's school has a fall festival where there are produce, baked goods sold, games and activities for the family to participate, a cook-off; basically a day to try to enjoy fall day :)  The day actually started very rainy since the night before.  It was rainy on and off with some sunshine peeked through.  This year the activities and booths are located inside the gym which means braving the cold becomes easier.

I usually bake some goodies to be sold in the baked goods booth, and this year I restrained myself and made only five items.  Out of five, I only had to bake two, so the load wasn't so heavy.  Plus, this year I worked by myself instead of having another mom helping me.  All the goods are kid-friendly and I hope everyone would love them.

In this post, the first of the five series, I'm posting macadamia nut brittle recipe.  I love eating brittles, especially when they are crunchy and buttery.  Last year I made peanut brittles, this time macadamia nut takes a stand.  The recipe is from a book by Charity Ferreira:  Brittles, Barks, and Bonbons; a small book filled with good candy recipes.  Not too complicated yet the flavor of each recipe really shines through.  My favorite candy book so far!
Macadamia nut brittle--item 1


Macadamia Nut Brittle


Makes 2 pounds brittle



6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, plus more for pan

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups macadamia nuts (about 12 ounces), lightly toasted and roughly chopped



Lightly butter a 10-by-15-inch jelly pan.  Dissolve the baking soda in the vanilla extract; set aside.

In a large pot over medium-low heat, stir together the sugar, water, 6 tablespoons butter, the corn syrup, and salt until the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted.  Increase the heat and cook, stir occasionally with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture turns a deep golden brown and measures about 335 degree F on a candy thermometer, 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and carefully (the mixture will bubble up) stir in the vanilla mixture and nuts.

Immediately pour into the prepared pan.  If necessary, use a spatula or wooden spoon to spread the mixture flat.  Let stand at room temperature until cool and hard, about 1 hour.

Bend the ends of the pan to release the brittle and chop or break into chunks.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

5 comments:

  1. Goodness....you make me droollllllll....... are they as good as they look? I made them before ( using different recipe ) and they are easy and good. But here in Indonesia, I am not that keen to make it again because of the humidity here will make them soggy in no time.

    what? do you question my ability to make yummy brittles?? ;D
    Yes, they are good, like I said crunchy. Last year I made peanut brittles and they're popular as well. Yeah, I don't know if this survive well there, but you could put them in the fridge, they'll last. you have tenteng kacang there, made with palm sugar/gula jawa. next time I want to try sesame brittles, hmm!

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  2. ini kayak gelali kacang yo liz ?
    *yum

    iya Ra. kalo aku bilangnya tenteng kacang tuh. gampang bikinnya, yg penting asal jgn gosong :D

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  3. Can't wait for your sesame brittles Liz...gw lebih suka dari yang peanuts...ato di campur juga enak khan..

    lol...I don't want to be fat! I have to buy some more sesame seeds, my supply is running low.

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  4. [...] sale platter Image by 3liz4 refer to blog post for the [...]

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