Laurie’s Binge-worthy Nut Brittle

When I hear the word “Nut Brittle” I think of my grandmother. At Christmas time, she had beautiful glass dishes filled with old-fashioned hard sugary candy and crunchy nut brittle sitting on her living room table for guests to enjoy. My mother had a strict rule never to help yourself to anything unless someone offers. At that time I was about as tall as the coffee table, so that bowl of nut brittle called out to me at eye level. Of course, my grandmother always offered and I was happy to oblige. I must have had my fill of corn syrup and peanuts because the idea of eating nut brittle now doesn’t have the same appeal as it did when I was five. That is, until my friend Laurie showed me how to make her version of healthy nut brittle.

Now, the thing about Laurie is that she knows her stuff when it comes to detecting unhealthy ingredients in food and she avoids it like the plague. So when she told me what she puts into her nut brittle, I was more than excited to give it a try. Because it has the consistency of a trail mix rather than an actual brittle, it’s easy to get carried away with the amount you eat in one sitting. I know this because after only one bite of this amazing snack, I was completely hooked. The combination of sprouted nuts, sour cranberries and raisins, sweet coconut and cinnamon combined with raw honey puts every other nut brittle recipe to shame. Sorry Grandma but it’s true.

The trick to this recipe is not the way it’s made since it’s as easy as can be to whip up a batch in no time, However, it does require the use of a dehydrator which slowly dehydrates excess liquid out of the nuts and berries over a 48 hours period of time while caramelizing the honey and cinnamon mixture it is soaking in. If you have a dehydrator, you are in luck. If not, I highly recommend investing in one. The Excalibur is the one I use but any dehydrator will work fine. There are so many amazing things you can do with a dehydrator, but I will say making this binge-worthy nut brittle has to be my favorite. Thank you, Laurie!