Croccante
MAKES 1 SHEET PAN OF CANDY
This is the perfect treat for your kids. Kids love candy, but candy is 100-percent sugar, so in Italy we give them candy with nutrients in the form of nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts! I use regular white sugar, the cheapest I can find, but you can make this with brown sugar, turbinado sugar—all kinds of sugar. If you’re a health nut, you can also make this with sesame seeds, quinoa, whole-grain puffed rice, chia seeds… whatever you like.
4 cups almonds, skin on
1 cup hazelnuts, skin on
1 cup walnuts, skin on
5 cups sugar
½ cup water
Roast the nuts first to bring out their flavor. In a sauté pan, cook over medium heat until they start to give off a scent.
Place the sugar in a nonstick saucepan and cook over high heat until it starts to melt. If necessary, add a bit of water to help.
Turn the heat down to medium low and continue to cook until the sugar turns a deep rich brown color. Add all the nuts and mix well. Cook for a few minutes, making sure the nuts are fully coated.
Remove from heat and quickly spread the hot mixture onto a cookie mat or an oiled sheet of foil to the desired thickness (I like it about ½ an inch thick).
Let cool for half an hour before breaking it into smaller pieces.