Krokan (Hazelnut Almond Brittle)
This Krokan combines toasted almonds and hazelnuts with golden caramel for a crisp, nutty brittle. Break it into pieces for a sweet snack, or crush it to sprinkle over your favorite desserts.
You only need a handful of ingredients under 30 minutes of cooking time to make this. Try my orange candied almonds next if like sweet and crunchy nut snacks.
The contrast is what makes this Norwegian nut brittle so good: crunchy nuts, a thin caramel coating, and plenty of toasted flavor in every bite.
For an easy dessert upgrade, scatter a little over baked yogurt cups just before serving. Keep the rest in an airtight container for your next bowl of ice cream!
Quick Look: Krokan
- ⏲️ Cook time: 25 mins, plus cooling.
- 👪 Servings: 4.
- 📋 Main ingredients: Almonds, hazelnuts, sugar, water, lemon juice, oil.
- ♨️ Cooking method: Toast nuts → chop → cook caramel → stir in nuts → spread and cool.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, with attention needed for the caramel.
- 🥣 Best served: As a sweet snack or crushed over ice cream and butterscotch pudding.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- A small ingredient list turns into a crunchy treat with plenty of toasted nut flavor.
- You can enjoy the brittle on its own or use the smaller pieces as a dessert topping- like I do with my Feuilletine flakes.
- It keeps well in a dry, airtight container, making it handy for preparing ahead or gifting.
Recipe Ingredients
Almonds: Whole, unsalted almonds add crunch. Start with fresh nuts for the best flavor. Use leftovers to make salt and vinegar almonds or cocoa dusted almonds.
Hazelnuts: These give the brittle a deeper, toasted nuttiness. Chop them after roasting so the pieces stay easy to handle.
Sugar: White granulated sugar melts into the caramel coating and lets you see its color clearly.
Lemon juice: A little helps discourage sugar crystals from forming.
Oil: Use a neutral oil so it does not compete with the nuts.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Try pecans, walnuts, or cashews in place of some of the almonds and hazelnuts. Toast them gently and watch their color.
- Add a small pinch of flaky salt to the surface before the caramel sets for a sweet and salty finish.
How to Make Krokan
Step 1: Gently roast the almonds and hazelnuts on a lined baking sheet until fragrant and lightly golden. Drizzle with the oil.
Step 2: Remove the nuts from the heat and let them cool.
Step 3: Roughly chop the cooled nuts and keep them beside the stove. Prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet for the brittle.
Step 4: Combine the sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves.
Step 5: Add the lemon juice and continue cooking until the syrup turns golden amber. Avoid stirring once it is boiling; gently swirl the pan if needed.
Step 6: Remove the pan from the heat. Carefully stir in the chopped nuts until coated.
Step 7: Immediately spread the mixture in a thin layer on the prepared baking sheet using a heatproof spatula.
Step 8: Let the brittle cool completely and harden, then break it into bite-sized pieces.
💭Top Tip
Have the chopped nuts and lined tray ready before you start the caramel. Once the nuts go in, the mixture sets quickly, so spread it while it is still fluid. Never touch or taste hot caramel.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- Use a heavy-bottomed pan to help the sugar heat evenly. A light-colored interior makes the caramel easier to judge.
- Watch closely as the syrup changes color. Take it off the heat at golden amber, before it becomes very dark and bitter. I always do this when I make my pecan praline sauce too.
- Spread the brittle thinly for a lighter crunch. Thick piles can be difficult to bite through.
- Keep utensils and containers dry. Moisture can turn the finished caramel sticky.
- Break the fully cooled brittle rather than trying to cut neat squares through the hard caramel. I do this when I make my Christmas crack with pretzels too.
How to Serve Krokan
Enjoy a small piece with coffee, or crush it and sprinkle it over vanilla ice cream, peanut butter chia pudding, or a slice of cake. Add it just before serving to keep the crunch.
It also works well over caramelized yogurt banana bowl, soft puddings and no bake cheesecake jars. Store the topping separately so moisture from the dessert does not soften it.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
The sugar may have crystallized. Dissolve it gently, avoid stirring the boiling syrup, and keep stray sugar crystals from being scraped back into the caramel.
Humidity, storing it before it is fully cool, or undercooking the caramel can leave it sticky. Let it harden completely and keep it in a dry, airtight container.
Store completely cooled pieces in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, with parchment between layers. Avoid refrigeration, where moisture and condensation can soften the caramel.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this krokan or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Krokan
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole Almonds
- 1 cup Hazelnuts
- 1.5 cups Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Water
- ¼ teaspoon Lemon Juice
- ½ teaspoon Oil
Instructions
- Dry roast the nuts in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper on low heat until they start to turn golden. Drizzle with some oil
- Once done, get the nuts out and allow them to cool down completely.
- Roughly chop the nuts and set them aside.
- Meanwhile, heat sugar and water in a pot or a pan on low heat until it starts to melt.
- Once the sugar has melted, add the lemon juice and continue to heat until it turns brown.
- Once the sugar mixture has browned, take it off heat, add the chopped nuts and mix well.
- Quickly spread the mixture in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Allow it to cool down before cutting it into bite sized pieces.
Notes
- Use fresh, good-quality almonds and hazelnuts for the best flavor and crunch. Avoid nuts that taste stale or rancid.
- Toast the nuts until lightly golden and fragrant to bring out their natural nuttiness. Keep an eye on them to prevent burning.
- Let the toasted nuts cool before roughly chopping them into smaller pieces.
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan to melt the sugar evenly and prevent hot spots that could burn the caramel.
- Avoid stirring the sugar syrup once it starts boiling, as this can cause crystallization. Gently swirl the pan if needed.
- Add the lemon juice to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing and developing a grainy texture.
- Watch the caramel closely as it turns golden amber, since it can go from perfectly caramelized to burnt very quickly.
- Work quickly when stirring the chopped nuts into the caramel, as the mixture starts to harden as it cools.
- Spread the caramelized nut mixture into a thin, even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet for a crisp, brittle-like texture.
- Allow the Krokan to cool completely before breaking it into pieces. You can also crush it into smaller bits to use as a dessert topping.
- Swap the almonds and hazelnuts for pecans, walnuts, pistachios, or cashews for a different flavor.
- Be careful when handling hot caramel, as melted sugar can cause serious burns. Allow it to cool fully before touching or tasting.
- Serve Krokan on its own as a crunchy sweet treat, or sprinkle it over ice cream, cakes, puddings, cheesecakes, and yogurt.
- Store the cooled Krokan in an airtight container at room temperature in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks. Avoid refrigerating it, as moisture can make the caramel sticky.
