Made from almonds or other nut varieties, croccante (Italian for “crunchy”) is irresistible. The Neapolitans shape their croccante into a basket which they then fill with struffoli or colored sugared almonds. Other Italians shape it into rectangles or bite-size pieces made from walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and pine nuts.
Only three ingredients for so much flavor (and calories)
Sugar, honey, and nuts — that's it. The catch? Croccante is pretty high in calories — every four ounces contains 400.
The best honey to use
The honey should have a delicate and almost neutral flavor so that it doesn’t overpower the nuts. Don’t use the aromatic varieties, like millefiori, acacia or any made from legumes. Avoid chestnut and strawberry honey, as well.
Our recipe for croccante (with almonds)
The best part about this recipe is how easy it is to make! Just try not to get too sticky.
Ingredients
⅔ cup sugar
½ cup acacia honey
1 ½ cups almonds
1 lemon
Oil, for greasing
How to make croccante
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Blanch the almonds in a pot of water for 3 minutes, then drain them and let cool. Peel the skin off and spread them across a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and toast them in the oven for 5 minutes. In the meantime, add the sugar and honey to a saucepan and melt, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 265°F. Once melted, add the almonds and stir well. Let these ingredients heat up to a temperature of no more than 340°F. If heated further, the caramel would take on a bitter flavor. Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with the juice of one whole lemon. Before the croccante solidifies completely, cut it into rectangular squares for serving.
