Honey Nut Brittle Candy

Honey Nut Brittle Candy
We’ve really been enjoying Papa B’s honey from next door lately! Today, I made three kinds of honey nut brittle to tuck away in the freezer for when the urge for a sweet treat hits.

The idea for this recipe came from “Macadamia Nut Brittle” in the cookbook: Eat Well Feel Well by Kendall Conrad. I love this book! Though some of the recipes call for ingredients that are too gourmet for me to ever afford (i.e. truffles!), I still find ways to substitute or adapt to what is on hand.

With a little imagination, you can get all sorts of tastes from this one recipe. Try altering the type of nuts used, or adding cocoa or carob powder or even coconut flakes for different variations. The basic recipe is as follows:

  • 1 cup honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
  • 4 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped nuts (of your choice – any type can be used)

Pour honey into a heavy saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat until it reaches 275 degrees F on a candy thermometer. This will take several minutes, up to 30 if you are using low heat. You can also use the cold water test to ensure you’ve reached soft crack stage.

While the honey is simmering, spread the nuts over a cookie sheet and toast in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and set aside.

Once soft crack stage is reached, keep the candy mixture over the heat source and stir in butter, vanilla (if desired), toasted nuts and any further additions you wish to add to your candy. Cook for one additional minute, remove from heat and spread over a parchment lined baking sheet.

Place in freezer for around 30 minutes to cool. Break into pieces and store in the freezer in single layers between parchment paper. Keep frozen until ready to eat since the candy turns soft at room temperature.

Here are three variations I made today:

Almond Honey Nut Brittle

(basic recipe with toasted almonds)

honey nut brittle

Pecan Honey Nut Brittle

(basic recipe with toasted pecans)

pecan nut brittle

Chocolate Almond Nut Brittle

(basic recipe, add vanilla, nuts, and around 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Press cocoa through a sieve when adding, to avoid lumps. Add less for milder chocolate taste, more for richer chocolate taste.)

chocolate honey nut brittle

Now, we’re all set for candy for a while! (If I can stop eating it….)

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56 Comments

  1. My daughter would love this sweet treat! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday! Please come back on Sunday to VOTE!

  2. I just recently received a candy thermometer. I am pinning this recipe so I can make the almond honey nut brittle. Thank you so much for sharing this at Foodie Friends Friday.

  3. thank you, great flavor and my kids love that we are using Auntie Linda’s honey(hive is in her blueberry field).

  4. Tried this today with almonds and chocolate – just because I had some. Yummy! Super easy and almost fail proof! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.

  5. Your recipes are going to pay such a big role in my holiday cooking this year. I am so excited to try them!

    1. Since you toast the nuts then salt them, I would think it should be similar. I would definitely try it, if I had any on hand!

  6. How to store these brittles, please? not that they’ll last too long. but i’m thinking gifting.

    1. They do best in the freezer between layers of parchment paper to prevent sticking together, but they should last out a few hours as long as it’s not too hot in the room. Too long and they get sticky. Unfortunately, a lot of honey-based candies do that. I do live in a very humid area though, so that could be some of the reason my candies do that!

  7. Have you tried making this with adding baking soda? This looks like my peanut brittle recipe (I usually use cashews) except it calls for white sugar and uses baking soda to add some air to the candy. I’ve never had any issue with needing to keep it in the freezer either.

    1. Hi Anthony, I haven’t tried this with added baking soda, though I have seen candy recipes using sugar that called for it. It’s on my want-to-experiment-with list! Honey candy is a bit different than sugar candy in that it tends to be softer no matter what I do, outside of refrigeration. At least, in my experiences so far. I certainly haven’t tried all of the recipe combos out there though & am still learning when it comes to candy-making! :)

  8. Pingback: Holiday Treats Recipe Round-Up, and a Grain-Free Chocolate Eclair Recipe from The Paleo Mom | Balanced Bites | Holistic & Paleo Nutrition Education
    1. Hi Vicki! It should work as well, it will just change the flavor a bit. I usually use a little less coconut oil than butter called for when I sub it out. So maybe around 3 TBSP coconut oil instead of the 4 for butter.

  9. This looks really good. I am hoping to get bees later this year or next spring, I love the taste of honey and it is so good for you…

  10. Would this recipe work without the butter? I want to thank you for creating a recipe without corn syrup! Appreciate that greatly. Now, if I can do it without milk products also, that would be great! Blessings

    1. Hi De, it should work well with 3 tablespoons of coconut oil instead of the 4 tablespoons butter – I’ve had good reports with that ratio from others (though haven’t personally tested it yet.) Enjoy! :)

  11. Pingback: Easy Honey Crunch Candy - The Nerdy Farm Wife
  12. Hi, I tried your recipe and also followed the instructions on the link to reach the soft crak stage. It was my first time making a “hard” candy from scratch and I want to thank you for providing a very good recipe and instructions. I made it last minute to add to my husbands gift for valentines and he absolutely loved it! How can I tell? He ate most of it the day he got it. Thank you!!

  13. Can I do this without a candy thermometer and idk what the soft crack stage means…? I have never made candy before lol but it looks great@!

  14. I live in Russia and they sell something just like this in the stores. One of my favorite versions here is with toasted sesame seeds. It is amazing! if you like sesame seeds ;)

  15. Yes! This was easy and so yummy!
    Like the peanut brittle from my childhood.

    I did add 1/4 tsp of baking soda and that really helped the ‘brittleness’.

    Thanks so much–I love it when healthy alternative recipes WORK!

    1. Hi Joan! You could do that, but since manuka honey is so expensive and most of its benefits come about from using it raw – I usually use cheaper grades of honey for candy making.

  16. I thought this looked delis. I tried it but my didn’t get brittle, it’s chewy. Iwent right by the receip. ???????

    1. Hi Glenda, I’m so sorry that happened! Did you store it in the freezer? Honey candy has a tendency to be chewy unless you keep it cold.

  17. Hi, thanks for recipe. After experimenting with how to use the candy thermometer it turned out great – love it. I want to make a honey nut brittle to sell in our Honey House Farm stall so would prefer something I don’t have to store in a freezer. Do you have a recipe or idea how to make this lovely honey nut brittle that does not need to be stored in a freezer. Many thanks….

    1. Hi Tamaryn, I’m so glad that you liked the recipe! I wonder if you put some peanut butter or other nut butter into it, if that would make it more shelf stable? This recipe can sit out fine for some time: https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/honey-butter-finger-bites/ so maybe you could merge the two recipes? The honey candy won’t go bad or anything, it just seems to get too soft at room temperature for me. Our house stays quite warm year ’round though, so it could just be that. You could experiment and leave it out and see how it does for you! Good luck with your sales! :)

    1. Hi Nancy! That’s something that I haven’t tested. All honey candies seem to get soft on me unless I keep them chilled, but I do live in a rather humid area and my house runs hotter than most, which might play a part. You could test a batch and see how it turns out!

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