Hot Peppered Almond Brittle

This recipe is one of my pantry favourites. I always have a little stash, made with whatever leftover nuts I may have hanging about. This is a great secret ingredient to have on hand, fantastic on grilled fruit, over ice cream, used as a cake topper or chopped and sprinkled into a salad. You can whip up brittle in about 10 minutes flat and get very creative with flavour combinations and variations. Feel free to add in seeds, vary the spices or add some herbs. It is impossible to go wrong, just have fun with it!

Hot Peppered Almond Brittle

1 cup almonds
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp salt
2 tsp cayenne powder

 Place all ingredients into a frying pan over medium heat.
Feel free to add more cayenne if you like some extra heat or more salt for a more salty/sweet flavour.

 Stir occasionally while butter melts and ingredients incorporate.
I like to use some butter to slightly soften the crunch and deepen the flavours.

 Sugar will begin to melt and get ‘gooey.'
Keep stirring.

 Once all ingredients are combined and sugar is melted, it will begin to darken.

Make sure you don’t ‘burn’ the sugar. This can happen very quickly so make sure you remove from heat as soon as mixture is melted and darkens.

 Take off heat immediately and pour over a buttered piece of foil paper.

 Allow to cool and harden.

 Break up and store.

Try not to eat it all at once!! It goes fast.