Hard candy like brittle is especially prone to absorbing water, and it will get sticky and crystallize if not wrapped tightly. Let the brittle cool completely then wrap it in plastic to protect it from humidity.After you pour the cashew brittle into the pan, immediately soak your pot and tools in hot water! It will begin to loosen the hard candy and make clean-up way easier.

I always keep a clean, damp dish towel nearby to wipe off the thermometer probe after sampling.Move the thermometer all around the pot so you get a read on the average temperature rather than a hot spot in the syrup. When you take the temperature, keep the thermometer submerged in the syrup but not touching the bottom of the pan.I love this one- it's cheap and accurate. Once you add the cashews, stir constantly so they don’t burn on the bottom of the pan.Corn syrup makes it harder for sugar to dissolve in water, which is why we add it after the sugar has dissolved.If you’ve made candy before, this might make you nervous! But don’t worry about stirring the nuts and causing recrystallization- we have enough corn syrup in the recipe to block the crystal formation and keep the brittle smooth and glassy. Once you add the cashews, make sure to constantly stir to avoid burning.The recipe works with roasted cashews (it’s what I used in the photos), but they have a tendency to get a little too roasted. The nuts will toast as they cook in the sugar syrup and develop all the roasted, nutty flavors you want. Always prep your ingredients and tools ahead of time.And this glucose syrup is critical in preventing crystallization in candy. The starch is hydrolyzed into small chains of glucose.

Whether the initial source of starch is corn, wheat, potatoes, it doesn’t really matter. It hasn't undergone more enzymatic reactions to convert the glucose to unnaturally high levels of fructose.Īll candy producers use glucose of some kind. The corn syrup we buy at the stores is just glucose that is made from cornstarch. When we talk about corn syrup for candy making or cooking, we’re not talking about high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Read on to browse my huge list of flavor suggestions and get to work on your very own homemade candy! what you need for cashew brittle: Once you get the hang of the classic brittle technique, you can have so much fun throwing together your favorite flavors and creating the ultimate Christmas candy. There are so many delicious ways you can elevate your cashew brittle to make it the most standout and memorable candy at Christmas.Ĭoconut cashew brittle? Chile lime cashew brittle? Spicy curried cashew brittle?! I know, I know. The best part is this recipe is basically a blank slate. I love to pull and stretch the brittle a bit as it cools to make it a thinner candy this creates a glass-like crunchy coating that drapes over the cashews and really makes them pop. The cashew flavor is subtle and more delicate than peanuts, and the sweet meaty cashews add so much good texture. It’s brimming with flavors of roasted nuts, caramel, butter and vanilla- with just enough salt to make it crazy addicting. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.Ĭashew brittle is an easy and impressive candy to make at home. Use big, whole cashews for a stand out holiday candy! If you’re truly a peanut brittle fanatic, mark your calendar for January 26, which is National Peanut Brittle Day.Cashew brittle is a glassy, deeply caramelized hard candy that’s deliciously sweet and salty. It’s known as pasteli in Greece, croquant in France and gachak or chikki in India. While the peanut version is most popular in North American, the combination of sweet candy and salty nuts is enjoyed around the world. Whether or not you believe this story, you’ll have to admit that, accident or not, brittle is a delicious confection. Instead of stringy, chewy taffy, she ended up with crunchy, nutty brittle, and she decided to replicate her “mistake” as her own version of a peanut brittle recipe. Was the invention of peanut brittle just one of those happy kitchen accidents? We’ll probably never know, but some food historians are partial to the story that it was invented in 1890 by a southern woman who was trying to make peanut taffy, but mistakenly added baking soda instead of cream of tartar to her recipe.

Mcneelys cashew brittle