Need a homemade gift fast? You can do better than a Mason jar filled with baking mix. We’re smitten with brittle, especially since our recipe for the festive candy starts with a common soda cracker.
Wrapped in parchment paper and tucked into a candy box, brittle is the perfect homemade holiday gift. Can’t part with your buttery creation? Just put it in a bowl for you (and your houseguests) to nibble on with coffee and tea.
INGREDIENTS
24 saltines
1 1/3 sticks butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp. baking powder
1 cup butterscotch chips
½ cup toasted almonds, finely chopped
PREPARATION
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Place the saltines on a 13-by-9-inch sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the brown sugar and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Once the mixture reaches a boil, let cook for 5 minutes, stirring periodically.
• Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the baking powder, mixing well.
• Pour the mixture evenly over the crackers and bake for 6 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the butterscotch chips. After about 2 minutes, the chips will begin to soften from the heat of the brittle. Using a spatula, spread the melting chips evenly over the brittle.
• Immediately sprinkle the almonds atop the brittle.
• Let the brittle cool partially, about 30 minutes, before breaking it into pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
This article appears in November 2012.