An authentic Italian recipe from our kitchen to yours.
Buon
Appetito!
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 cups blanched, toasted, whole almonds or raw almonds
- 1 lemon
Directions
1.
Remove
any
produce
stickers
from
the
lemon
and
rinse
it
well
with
a
bit
of
baking
soda
to
remove
any
wax.
Dry
the
lemon
and
set
aside.
2.
Lay
a
sheet
of
parchment
paper
on a
heat
proof
surface
like
a
granite
countertop
or
an
aluminum
or
stainless
steel
cookie
sheet.
3.
If
you
are
blanching
and
toasting
the
almonds,
prepare
them
first.
See
the
notes
at
the
end
of
this
recipe
for
instructions.
4.
In a
pan
over
medium
heat,
add
the
water
and
the
sugar.
Continuously
stir
the
ingredients
with
a
wooden
spoon
until
the
sugar
and
water
have
heated
and
dissolved
into
a
clear
liquid.
Continue
stirring
as
the
melted
sugar
begins
to
boil
and
caramelize
in
color
-
about
10
minutes.
The
sugar
is
ready
when
the
temperature
reaches
"hard
ball"
stage
or
255
degrees
on a
candy
thermometer.
If
you
do
not
have
a
candy
thermometer,
a
small
ball
of
the
cooked
sugar
should
turn
very
hard
when
dropped
into
a
glass
of
water.
5.
When
the
sugar
is
ready,
remove
it
from
the
heat
and
pour
in
the
almonds.
Mix
well
and
then
immediately
pour
the
mixture
onto
the
parchment
paper.
Be
very
careful
as
the
sugar
is
very
hot
and
will
cause
severe
burns.
6.
At
this
point,
take
the
lemon
and
use
it
to
smash
down
the
brittle
into
a
single
sheet
of
candy
with
the
almonds
evenly
spread
in
one
layer
through
the
sugar.
You
will
need
to
work
quickly
because
the
mixture
will
harden
fast.
Continue
rotating
the
lemon
as
you
mash
down
the
brittle
so
that
the
lemon
oil
from
the
peel
adds
a
light
flavor
to
the
brittle.
7.
Once
the
brittle
is
spread
out
into
a
single
sheet,
let
it
set
for
about
10
minutes
to
harden,
and
then
cut
it
into
small
cookie
-
size
pieces
for
serving.
8.
Store
the
brittle
in
an
air
tight
glass
jar
in a
cool,
dry
place.
Notes
To
blanch
the
almonds,
bring
a
pot
of
water
to
boil.
Once
boiling,
add
the
nuts
to
the
water
and
cook
for
1
minute.
Drain
the
almonds
and
then
remove
their
papery
skins
and
discard.
They
should
easily
pop
out
of
their
skins.
To
toast
the
almonds,
preheat
the
oven
to
325
degrees.
Spread
the
blanched
almonds
on a
baking
sheet
and
place
them
on
the
center
rack
of
the
oven.
Bake
for
about
15 -
20
minutes,
stirring
them
once
until
they
begin
to
turn
lightly
golden
and
are
fragrant.
