Almond brittle is a candy made with sweet almonds, sugar, and water heated to a hard crack stage. It dates back to the 19th century and can include other nuts and flavorings. Almonds are actually a fruit seed and offer many nutrients.
The almond brittle is a confection characterized by this particular nut set in hardened slabs of candy sugar. While commonly referred to as a nut, an almond is actually a nutritious, vitamin-rich fruit seed that has a sweet or bitter taste. Only the sweet almond variety is used for brittle. Several other ingredients are found in the package, including sugar and water, which are heated to a certain temperature to achieve the candy’s hard texture. The brittle probably dates back to the 19th century, when ingredients like peanuts and molasses were common, eventually growing to include other types of sugar and nuts.
An almond is a seed found in a type of stone fruit, although it is often referred to as a nut. The tree is related to others, such as cherry, peach and apricot, all of which have inedible pits. This particular fruit seed offers a large amount of nutrients, especially manganese, vitamin E and copper, as well as B12.
There are both bitter and sweet varieties of almonds, with the latter being the type that is eaten fresh and used in fragile treats. Nuts can be raw, roasted, or seasoned before using in candy. You can also use ground, flaked and whole almonds in this package.
Other ingredients used to brittle the almonds include sugar, water, and optional leavening agents for a lighter candy. Salt and butter are also commonly added for flavor and a richer, creamier brittle. Additions to basic almond strawberries include drizzling the chocolate over the sheet while it cools, blending it with other nuts, and seasoning it with extracts and spices.
Making the almond brittle is a simple but careful process. The water and sugar are heated to about 300° Fahrenheit (149° Celsius), the temperature at which the candy reaches a “hard crack stage.” If a sugar solution in this stage is immediately cooled, it hardens and forms cracks or breaks. Once the confection is brought to this state, it is removed from the heat and almonds and additional ingredients are mixed in. The mixture is spread out on a baking sheet and cooled, after which it is lightly broken with a mallet or gently dropped onto a hard surface.
The earliest known brittle was made during the 19th century using peanuts or peanuts, as they were commonly called. Previous recipes called for less refined sugars like molasses. Later, almond strawberries were made with corn syrup and other sweeteners. The variety of nuts also grew to include almonds, walnuts, and pecans, among numerous others.
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