Snap to it with these brilliant brittles

From a sesame snap to a decadent dessert topping, these brittles cover the spectrum from basic to 'laden with the lot'.

Source: John Laurie

--- Catch Sarah Graham making cashew brittle during her travels through southern Africa in Sarah Graham's Food Safari, weekdays at 4pm and then via SBS On Demand ---

 

Feel in the mood for the snap and crunch of a brilliant brittle? Let's get cracking!

Nut and seed brittle (mewa chikki)

Here's a recipe where you can bend the basics to suits what you love, or what you have on hand. This Indian sweet can be made with whatever mix of seeds and nuts you like, or you could add craisins, dried cherries or blueberries or other dried or dehydrated fruit pieces.

Nut and seed brittle (mewa chikki) Source: Tanvi Srivastava

Ronnit Hoppe's seed brittle

Enjoy this as a snack on its own, or sprinkled over ice-cream. This crunchy recipe uses pepitas, sunflower seeds, hemp or flax seeds, coconut and almonds (or try Hoppe's suggestion swapping the almond flakes for cacao nibs).

Seed brittle Source: Loving Gluten Free

Saffron almond brittle (sohan-e qom)

Originally from the holy city of Qom in Iran, this almond brittle, perfumed with saffron and decorated with barberries (or use other dried berries, such as cranberries) and pistachios, is even more tempting than the classic peanut variety.

Saffron almond brittle Source: John Laurie

Banana and peanut butter ice-cream with cashew brittle

As good as it is eaten piece by piece, little bits of brittle also make a next-level sprinkle: take a look at this banana and peanut butter ice-cream with cashew brittle, from Sarah Graham's Food Safari. The ice-cream is a super-easy version made with frozen bananas, freeing up your hands to quickly whip up some nutty, crunchy brittle to sprinkle on top.

Banana and peanut butter ice cream with cashew brittle Source: Sarah Graham's Food Safari

Chocolate and pistachio coated brittle with vanilla salt

If you're looking for a decadent, good-looking brittle that makes a great gift, this recipe will meet all your needs. A layer of brittle is topped with melted chocolate and sprinkled with nuts and vanilla salt.

Chocolate and pistachio coated brittle Source: Petrina Tinslay

Honeycomb peanut brittle

Is it brittle? Is it honeycomb? It's both, and we're very happy to have this cracking good combination in the brittle family!

Honeycomb peanut brittle

Bushfood brittle

The perfect sweet and sour candy, sweet from the brittle and sour from the tangy native finger limes. A great gift for every occasion, too.

Bushfood Brittle Source: Warndu Mai (Good Food)

Sesame brittle

For lovers of the flavour of a sesame snap, here's a variation for you: a chunky sesame brittle studded with hazelnuts.

Sesame brittle Source: Stockfood

Mocha popcorn with sesame brittle

Another take on the joy of sesame brittle! The key to this bittersweet chocolate and coffee-flavoured popcorn is to toss the popcorn while it's piping hot to create a candy-like chocolate shell on the popcorn and to get the sesame praline pieces to stick.

Mocha popcorn with sesame brittle Source: Amanda McLauchlan

Peanut brittle

And let's not forget the classic: a straightforward American three-ingredient peanut brittle, from the annals of the much-loved Feast magazine.

Peanut brittle Source: Dieu Tan

Chocolate layer cake with peanut butter frosting

Or take the idea of basic brittle to impressive heights in this show-stopper of a cake: layers of chocolate cake, coated in a rich peanut butter frosting, and decorated with chocolate drizzle, salted peanut brittle and popcorn.

Chocolate layer cake with peanut butter frosting Source: Chris Middleton