Salted Almond Chocolate Brittle

An airy version of nut brittle with savory overtones from soy sauce, this treat is made of toasted almonds topped with dark chocolate and, if you’d like, fleur de sel or another flake salt. I’m grateful to my friend Cassandra Kobayashi for developing the recipe. 

Make the basic version first and then play with additional flavors if you wish: you could include a pinch of ground cayenne in the syrup, use peanuts or toasted sesame seeds with or instead of the almonds, and on top, instead of flake salt, try a pepper-salt mixture such as Sichuan Pepper Salt or Chile Salt.  

Prepare all your ingredients in advance and please read through the recipe for this Salted Almond Chocolate Brittle before starting. You’ll need a digital candy thermometer to show you when the syrup has reached the “hard crack” stage of 300 degrees. Monitor the temperature closely as the syrup heats because just a few seconds can make the difference between perfect and burnt.  This recipe is going to make two 9 x 7-inch rectangles (to break into pieces). 

Salted Almond Chocolate Brittle

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• Author: Naomi Duguid

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Description

The addition of salt helps bring out the richness of the chocolate and nutty flavor of the almonds.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup raw whole almonds or salted almonds  

• 1 tsp baking soda  

• 2 oz dark chocolate, chopped into ¼-inch pieces  

• 1 cup granulated sugar  

• 2 tbsp corn syrup 

• 1 tbsp molasses (dark or blackstrap) 

• 4 tbsp salted butter 

• 2 tbsp water  

• 1 tbsp soy sauce, such as regular Kikkoman  

• About 1 tsp fleur de sel or other flake salt (optional) 

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Instructions

1. If using raw almonds, preheat the oven to 325 degrees, or set a dry heavy skillet over medium heat.  
2. Spread the almonds on a small baking sheet and roast them in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes until aromatic and touched with color. Or toast them in the skillet, shaking the pan, for just a few minutes. Set the nuts aside to cool. 
3. Or, if using the salted almonds, roast them in the oven or toast them in the skillet, but reduce the cooking times by at least half; since they are already roasted, you just want to crisp them up a bit. Set aside to cool.  
4. Coarsely chop the nuts; set aside.  
5. Lightly oil two sheets of parchment paper. Arrange one-third of the nut pieces to make a 9 x 6-inch rectangle on each sheet; reserve the remaining nuts to use as a topping. 
6. Place the baking soda and chopped chocolate near your stovetop. Have an oiled silicone spatula and your thermometer nearby, too. 
7. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, molasses, butter, water, and soy sauce in a heavy pot and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring with the oiled spatula just until the sugar is dissolved. (Having the pot on a burner that is no bigger than the bottom of the pan will help with even heating.) Let the mixture come to a boil, without stirring it again; if it seems to be heating unevenly, swirl the pan gently. Bring the syrup to 300 degrees, the hard crack stage. As the water boils off, the mixture will darken and the uniform bubble batter will change to a “tufted” look with some areas pulled down between puffed-up sections of bubbles. Once the syrup reaches 300 degrees, the hard crack stage, immediately remove the pot from the heat (if the syrup turns a shade darker beyond this, it can quickly burn). Immediately add the baking soda and stir vigorously with the oiled spatula to incorporate. The mixture will bubble and lighten in color. (Be careful not to touch the pot or syrup, which will be extremely hot.) 
8. Pour and scrape the syrup onto the rectangles of chopped almonds on the parchment and use the oiled spatula to spread out the syrup. Let cool for 30 seconds, then sprinkle with the chopped chocolate. As the chocolate melts, use the spatula to spread it over the brittle. Sprinkle on a little salt if you’d like, and then the remaining chopped almonds. Press lightly on the almonds to help them stick. 
9. Let cool completely. (If it’s a hot day, finish cooling the brittle in the refrigerator.) Break into chunks once cool and store in a well-sealed bag or container at room temperature.   

Excerpted with permission from The Miracle of Salt by Naomi Duguid (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022. Photographs by Richard Jung.

Story and Recipe by Naomi Duguid
Photography by Richard Jung

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