Shattered



As intriguing of an idea as candy making is, we have always left it to the professionals. This slacker attitude comes from the lack of a candy thermometer (a $4 investment that we have yet to make), and a complete impatience for recipes that instruct us to watch for the ''soft ball'' or ''hard crack'' stage. But when an impromptu pantry clean-out presented us with all of the necessary ingredients for brittle, we realized that we were up for the challenge.

20 minutes, and some very sticky fingers later, we had successfully conquered our fear. From these candy virgins to others, it was shockingly simple. The key is to have all of your ingredients and tools prepped and ready to go, as the sugar mixture tends to harden at mach speed. The recipe itself is extremely basic so feel free to experiment. We happened to have cashews on hand, but have already planned out countless brittle variations. Needles to say, we will most likely end this phase of our lives toothless and fat. Sounds fun, right?

Vanilla Scented Cashew Brittle

Recipe after the jump

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbs sea salt (we used Maldon)

2 cups cashews (or any other nut)

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, coat with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In a medium pot, combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, and vanilla. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should reach a light caramel color. At this point remove from heat and stir in baking soda and salt. Stir in cashews until evenly coated. Immediately pour mixture onto greased cookie sheet. Using a greased wooden spoon, spread brittle outward. Allow to cool at room temperature for at least an hour. Break brittle into bite sized pieces.