A twist on the classic peanut brittle, brown sugar cashew brittle is crunchy and sweet with a hint of toffee and vanilla.
Many years ago, my mother in law passed down to me her old candy thermometer.
For a long time I avoided using it; favoring less precise recipes instead. But when I decided to try my hand at candy making, I knew that candy thermometer would have to come out at some point.
And oh how it did.
Most are familiar with peanut brittle; and even though I hail from Virginia where peanuts are a signature food, I’m not a big fan of the legume on its own. But other nuts make me melt. Macadamias are my favorite, and cashews run a close second; which is why I was intrigued when I came across a BHG recipe for cashew brittle.
So I made it. And it was good. But it could be so much more.
So I braved the candy thermometer again and remade it with a few changes. Swapping out some of the white sugar for brown and adding vanilla extract to develops a more complex flavor. And salted nuts add that perfect sweet-salty combination.
And that is how brown sugar cashew brittle was born.
BUT, in the flurry of trying to make brittle and dinner at the same time, I learned an important candy-making lesson: use a tall pot.
At some point, the thermometer got loose from its clip, flipped up and I got 240 degree candy stuck to two of my fingers.
Yeah, that was painful.
Want to avoid spending hours on end preparing food for your party? Click here to download 10 Fast and Easy Party Recipes that don’t take more than 20 minutes of your time to prepare.
It took every ounce of resistance to avoid spewing profanity in front of the 3-year-old (who is repeating every single thing she hears these days).
Instead, I ran my hand under cold water screaming “Ow, ow, ow, ow, oooooowwwww!!!!” with tears running down my cheeks.
But even in painful times joy can be found.
That was a moment when I found that L is a lot like this brittle. She can be so tough and hard to deal with sometimes, but every once in a while she shows you that she’s really all sweetness and so irresistible.
So while I fought against searing pain in my fingers, and still trying not to ruin my candy, L gave me the most heartfelt hug ever. And I cherished it so much.
So now we’ll have a holiday story to tell about the time that I mis-used my MIL’s candy thermometer, and nearly got 3rd-degree burns doing it. It wasn’t funny at the time, but it’ll be funny someday.
At least I can tell you that it was worth it. So worth it.
Brown Sugar Cashew Brittle
Brown Sugar Cashew Brittle
A twist on the classic peanut brittle, brown sugar cashew brittle is crunchy and sweet with a hint of toffee and vanilla.
Ingredients
- 1 C dark brown sugar
- 1 C white sugar
- 1 C light corn syrup
- 1/2 C water
- 1/4 C butter
- 2.5 cups roasted, salted cashews
- 1.5 tsp baking soda, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- extra butter for coating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper to ensure the brittle doesn't stick. Prepare forks and/or silicone spatulas with cooking spray.
- Spread the cashews on a second baking sheet and place in the oven during the next stages. (warming the nuts will keep the candy mixture from dropping too quickly when they're added)
- Prepare a 3-quart saucepan by buttering the sides of the pan. Combine sugars, corn syrup, water and 1/4 cup butter in the saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking the candy until a candy thermometer reads 275 degrees, maintaining a boil during that time. Adjust heat as necessary to avoid burning the mixture. This step should take about 30 minutes
- Remove cashews from oven and carefully stir in vanilla extract and cashews. Continue cooking, stirring frequently (to avoid burning the nuts) until a candy thermometer reads 295 degrees. This step should take another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Add baking soda, stirring constantly. Immediately pour onto parchment covered baking sheet, stretching as thin as possible with prepared forks or spatulas.
- Cool completely on baking sheet before breaking into small pieces.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Have you ever burned yourself while cooking?
What’s the sweetest thing your kids have ever done for you?
Don’t forget to subscribe via
Bloglovin, Facebook, and Twitter,
to get more updates!
Debbie says
Hi Leslie, I’ve been meaning to scout around for a nut brittle recipe for a while now and you’ve saved me a job. I’m sure your recipe would work with other types of nuts too, don’t you? Just not sure if I can find light corn syrup here. Will be looking later. Pinning.
xx
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
My husband loves cashews!! Pinned to make for him later – Thanks for joining the What’s for Dinner party! Hope we see you every week. Have a wonderful day.
Lauren Sparks says
This looks like a yummy fall treat! Can’t wait to try. Visiting you today from the tune in thursday link up. laurensparks.net
Lanae Bond says
I would love to try this recipe and maybe give it as a gift for Christmas!
https://budgetingbelle80.blogspot.com
Judith A. Graber says
I’m thinking about the holidays here – always a favorite gift to give and receive! I hear you about burning yourself or having caramel overflow – not a fun experience. I never hurt myself but I ruined a pan. Good for you to keep trying… looks great! Thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday #244.
Judith A. Graber says
Just noticed you did not link up to Fiesta Friday – we would love it if you did so you have a chance to be featured 🙂 Thanks….
Anna- Confessions of Parenting says
I need this in my life right now! Brittle always takes me back to my childhood. I have fond memories of my Grandmother in the kitchen making a batch of brittle. This sounds heavenly! Thanks
Elise L Ho says
My dad used to love brittle. I wish I could share this with him.
Jann Olson says
I love peanut brittle and can’t wait to try this cashew one! Thanks for sharing the recipe with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Neena says
This looks amazing! I think I will have to make a batch for the holidays. Stopping by from Best of the Weekend.
Miz Helen says
We will love your Cashew Brittle, we are real Brittle fans here at the cottage. Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday, we have really enjoyed it. Hope you have a great day and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Debanita says
Wow these look so perfect. WOuld love to have one of these right now! These were one of my favourites during childhood. We used to go & buy them in winter from the local shops. I didn’t knew it could be made at home too. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Happy Fiesta Friday!
Cheri says
I messed up somewhere. Brittle is still soft hours after I laid it out on the parchment. Any ideas where I went wrong!
Leslie says
Hi Cheri! It sounds like your candy didn’t get all the way to 295 degrees. 295 is the lowest temperature you must meet to get candy to the hard crack phase. Sometimes candy thermometers stop measuring accurately, and need to be calibrated, which could result in an error like this. Here’s a good resource for calibrating your candy thermometer: https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-test-your-candy-thermometer-520314
Angel says
Why do you add baking soda?
Leslie says
The baking soda added at the end of the brittle process creates tons of tiny bubbles in the mixture, which helps the candy have that wonderfully light and airy texture and signature snap.
Laurie Hudson says
Made the cashew brittle this afternoon. My husband and I can’t stay out of it! It is absolutely fabulous!
CHRISTOPHER SEALS says
This is the 2nd time I made this but this time I used almonds instead. It came out perfect as before. Can’t wait until it cools down!