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One Bowl Brittle Bark

Ingredients

For Coconut Cashew:

  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips milk, semi-sweet or bittersweet
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 heaping cup roasted salted cashews
  • 1/2 heaping cup large flake unsweetened coconut
  • 1 Tablespoon salted butter
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • coarse salt optional

For Peanut Butter Pretzel:

  • about 16 mini pretzel twists
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips milk, semi-sweet or bittersweet
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 1/2 heaping cup roasted salted peanuts
  • 1 Tablespoon salted butter
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • coarse salt optional

Instructions

  1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Scatter chocolate chips evenly across the middle of the sheet covering an area about 9" x 7". No need to measure, you just want to spread them far enough so that you get even chocolate distribution, but not so far that the brittle won't reach it when you're pouring/spreading.
  2. Spray a wooden spoon or silicone spatula with cooking spray and set aside.
  3. Mix together the sugar and corn syrup in a medium microwave safe bowl.
  4. Microwave the sugar mixture uncovered on high for 5 minutes. You'll end up with a very hot, bubbly clear sugar syrup.
  5. Meanwhile make sure your nuts, coconut and butter are measured and ready to go.
  6. When the 5 minutes is up, quickly stir in nuts, coconut and butter. I mix it until the butter is fully melted and combined.
  7. Microwave the mixture for another 2-4 minutes or until a light caramel color is achieved. (See notes, this step may take longer depending on your microwave and bowl.)
  8. Remove the bowl from the microwave and quickly add the vanilla and baking soda. Using the spoon/spatula that you sprayed with cooking spray, stir quickly until combined. The mixture will bubble up and get creamy.
  9. Quickly pour the hot mixture onto your prepared sheet on top of the chocolate chips. Quickly spread mixture as evenly as possible making sure you've covered your chips. The chocolate will melt quickly and begin to streak through the brittle as you spread.
  10. Lightly sprinkle coarse salt over the top, if desired.
  11. Allow to cool for at least an hour or until brittle and chocolate have set up. Break into pieces.
  12. If you're making the Peanut Butter Pretzel variation, arrange the pretzels in an even layer in the middle of the baking sheet, sprinkling the chocolate and peanut butter chips in all the open spaces so that everything remains in one layer. Proceed with the recipe as above, but adding only peanuts and butter instead of the cashew, coconut and butter at that step.

Recipe Notes

*Speed is key in this recipe, so make sure you have all ingredients measured and ready to go.

*Use only roasted salted nuts.

*I used mini pretzel twists because their open structure left lots of room to tuck chips into and around.

*Remember the sugar mixture is HOT so take proper care not to burn yourself.

*After you add your nuts/coconut, your time may vary depending upon your microwave and the bowl you use. I made many batches of this and in one bowl it was done in exactly 4 minutes after I added the nuts. With other bowls that were larger, I had to cook it as long as 8 minutes. Just cook it until you begin to see caramel colors developing. It's okay to open up the oven and quickly check it. If it still looks like clear sugar syrup, it's not done yet. I found that the larger the bowl, the longer it took. If you have a high wattage microwave, it could be much shorter. I like using glass bowls so that I can easily see what's going on. Just stay close and monitor it and you'll be fine.

*Spread brittle quickly. Don't spend too much time spreading or you'll break a lot of the bubbles created by the baking soda which keep the brittle light and easy to crunch.

*I actually used two bowls when I made this because I wanted to have my nuts, coconut and butter ready to pour in all together and because I was making lots of batches that day. It's not necessary, though. As long as you have them measured out and ready to go, this really is a one bowl recipe.

*Store cool, dry and air tight. Mine held up well in a zip lock bag at an air conditioned room temperature. Do not refrigerate.

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

The Merchant Baker Copyright © 2015