Easy Pecan Brittle

This pecan brittle (technically a pecan-topped toffee) melts in your mouth, sticks to your teeth, slides down your stomach, and seduces you into grabbing seconds - and, the pecan brittle is EASY to make (which is precisely why I made it).  


Recently, I participated in Bake Sale for Hope - an online bake sale that raised $750 for the Avon Foundation.  I auctioned up some toffee, knowing that it's a killer recipe that doesn't take a lot of time (I felt a little guilty not auctioning cupcakes, but shipping toffee is easier than shipping cupcakes - especially in the summer).  I asked the winner if she'd like to jazz the toffee up a bit with some nuts and she was all for it.  Once I added the pecans to the toffee, it was transformed into something new and better and I felt that a name change to "pecan brittle" was in order.

Easy Pecan Brittle Recipe

You'll find the recipe for pecan brittle on my toffee recipe post from way back in 2008.  I updated the recipe and included the option of adding nuts.

Do-Overs

As I said above, the toffee recipe that I used for this pecan brittle recipe was straight off of one of my blog posts from 2008.  At the time, I didn't have much candy making experience and didn't even own a candy thermometer.  My toffee recipe stated that I should look for the sugar to turn a nutty brown color.  I followed the instructions and the recipe didn't work!  Nutty brown is a little vague.  What kind of nut?  An almond? A walnut? A pistachio?  The toffee came out more like a soft caramel. The recipe said that I should pour the hot toffee out onto a flat baking sheet; I did that and it dripped off the sheet onto my counter and down onto the floor.  It's too bad that I don't have a dog!

Failing at making your own recipe is like not being able to read your own handwriting (umm... I've done that too).  It's tuck-your-head-between-your-knees embarrassing. 

These days, I always make candy with a candy thermometer -  it is absolutely essential and not an expensive purchase.  I also like to think that I've learned a thing or two about writing recipes that are more detailed and easy to follow (if you do find fault in one, please let me know).  Needless to say, I've updated the original post and the recipe should now work without a hitch.  I apologize to anyone who tried the original version and failed. 

How to Win the Ultimate Do-Over


This post was sponsored by Frigidaire. When you share your own do-over moment at Facebook.com/Frigidaire, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children's U.S. programs. Plus, Frigidaire will help cover the costs for one lucky visitor to win the ultimate do-over.