Brown Sugar Rosemary Hazelnut Brittle

Since Labor Day I feel like I am not only in a race to use up the herbs in my garden, to use them to create interesting new treats.

This candy was inspired by the surprisingly delicious Chocolate Mixed-Herb Caramels I made last month. Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but it looks like using herbs in homemade candy just might be my new addiction. 

Making brittle is nothing new, especially on this blog. However, I really like this special combination of flavors. The heavier flavor of the brown sugar wrapped around raw hazelnut chunks are set off by the herby pine-like flavor of chopped fresh rosemary. It’s powerful. A little piece goes a long way.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups soft light brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1+1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• Scant 1/3 cup chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 cups unsalted raw hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Directions:

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.
• Place water, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat without stirring until the mixture reaches the hard crack stage (about 302 degrees F)
• In the meantime, assemble all the rest of the ingredients, place near a trivet next to the baking sheet along with a heatproof spatula.
• When the sugar mixture is hot enough, remove the pan from the heat and place on the trivet. Stir in the rest of the ingredients quickly.
• Pour onto the parchment paper and using the spatula, flatten out and shape into a rectangle if you like.
• Let cool completely. When the brittle has become hard, break into pieces.