Red Velvet Cashew Brittle for Valentine’s Day

Brittle has been on my list for waaaay too many months. It was time to do something about it and Valentine’s Day made the perfect opportunity for switching up the flavor and colors.

I admit, I was a bit intimidated to make brittle. My grandmother loved peanut brittle. It was one of her favorite things in life. When I was a kid  it was a huge treat when we used to eat it together so it reminds me of my childhood and of her.

I was inspired to finally take the brittle plunge when I saw Stresscakes’s Spicy Peanut Brittle post, it started me thinking about other flavors.A bottle red velvet flavoring has been sitting in my cabinet unopened for a while now.  It was time to take it for a test drive.

The flavoring itself is dark red and syrupy. It tinted the brittle red but to make sure I got the color I wanted I also added a bit of red paste food coloring (Wilton’s No Taste Red).

Substituting the sweeter cashews for peanuts an I added a bit of cocoa powder for an extra boost to the flavor.

The result was fantastic. Not only is this one hot mama gorgeous brittle, it tastes divine. Packaged up in clear cellophane bags and tied with red ribbon, they make a perfect  Valentine’s Day treat. Now that I’ve jumped over the making brittle hurdle which was must lower than the one in my mind, there’s no limit to how much fun I can have playing with flavors for the brittles of my future.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 1+1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons red velvet flavor
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 2 cups unsalted raw cashews
• 1/4 teaspoon red paste food coloring

Directions:

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray.
• Place water, sugar, red velvet flavoring and corn syrup in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and heat without stirring until the mixture reaches the hard crack sate (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, removed from heat and move to the trivet. Stir in all 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 and break into pieces.