Angie's Brittle - Happy Holidays

Oh man, It has been a rough few weeks! Traveling, work, Christmas shopping, more work, baking (and mailing), even MORE work, so many December birthdays, and not to mention I dropped a full bottle of vinegar on my toe (which is now bruised and probably broken). I kind of just want to throw my hands in the air and say "I give up world!" But, I can't because..............SANTA'S COMING!!!!

This is absolutely, hands down, my favorite time of year! Spending time with family, holiday parties, TONS of cooking and holiday treats, decorations, presents and best of all, traditions. We have several established traditions in our family, but we're always creating new ones. One of the best traditions though, are the holiday goodies that our families make. We always get delicious Italian Pizzelles from the Hubby's Mom and Spicy Chex Mix (aka Trash) from my Mom. One of my favorite traditions that crept into our family several years ago is Angie's Brittle.

Angie is an old family friend of ours who knows how to make brittle! My mom fell in love with the brittle and started making it every Holiday. I now have taken over the tradition and wanted to share with everyone! Salty, sweet and very chocolatey, it is a cracker-based brittle. Usually I make this with saltine crackers, however since going gluten free, I now use a basic GF cracker and had no issues. If you don't have a gluten issue, then go with the saltines. You can also top the brittle with a different type of nut like almonds, pecans or cashews. Sometimes I add on dried fruit, like goji berries.

On behalf of the Hubby, myself and our families, we wish everyone a wonderful  Holiday Season and many delicious treats!!

Angie's Brittle

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes


2 sticks butter (16 Tablespoons)
1 cup brown sugar
Cooking spray
1 sleeve saltine crackers (or gluten free crackers similar to saltines - I used these)
16 ounces favorite chocolate chips (dark, milk or bittersweet)
1 cup walnuts (toasted and chopped)
Sea salt (suggested if using GF crackers)

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray (the more you spray, the easier it will be to remove the brittle).
Spread the crackers in a single layer on the lined baking sheet.

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. This will start to thicken and turn brown like a caramel. Pour the butter mixture over the crackers and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook as the brittle will burn easily.

Remove the brittle from the oven and pour the chocolate chips on top of this immediately. Let the chips sit for a minute, and as they melt, start to spread them out with a spatula. This will create the chocolate layer. Sprinkle the walnuts (or favorite nut) and sea salt. Let this cool for about 10-15 minutes and then place in the freezer to harden.

When frozen, carefully remove the foil from the brittle and break into pieces. Store in a freezer bag or container in the freezer until ready to serve. This keeps the chocolate from melting!

A Homemade Christmas

This is my favorite day of the year. How can someone not love a day where you gather with your loved ones, share traditions and thoughtful gift giving and dine on amazing food.

Merry Christmas

I love giving presents! I can honestly say it is more fulfilling for me to think of the perfect gift and watch the recipient open it, than receiving them. Since I started the blog this year, it was only fitting that I give a gift from Kettler Cuisine to each member of my family.

Before I share my homemade gifts, I want to thank everyone that reads my blog and for all of the support I have received from family and friends this past year. It has been quite an amazing year for me, and Ryan. We are so blessed to have empowering and inspiring people in our lives. What better way to show my love and gratitude than through my cooking.

Ryan Wants Brittle

The hubby was pretty easy, mostly because I know what he likes and doesn't like. Since he was majorly spoiled from all of the cookie baking during the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, I decided to bring back an oldie, but goodie. I like to call it Freezer Brittle, but it really is Angie's Brittle (named after an old family friend). This isn't the typical peanut brittle that one thinks of, but a sweet and salty, chocolatey brittle. It's pretty simple to make and delicious to eat!

Mom Gets Truffles

She was also pretty easy - just find a no-sugar, no-gluten, no-dairy, raw dessert! Hah! Yes, this such thing does exist. Exhibit A: Raw Brownies. Since she often has these in her freezer, I decided to try something new: Choco-Chili Truffles from Green Kitchen Stories. Chocolate and chilis make a deathly amazing combination. I rolled them in different things (coconut flakes, almonds, cacao).

Oh Poppycock, Father

Poppycock. And no, I am not referring to the British term for nonsense, I am referring to the sweet and salty popcorn-candy snack. I found a recipe online from Noshing with the Nolands that is a copycat version of the store bought kind. It was a bit tricky to make, but worth it when I saw his face!

Cookies for Desiree

She got some of my Cherry Walnut Oatmeal cookies. During all of my cookie swap testing and baking, she never got to try them. She specifically requested them, so I had to oblige. 

Just Buggles

Every time I make "Trash" (chex mix) and my brother-in-law Paul is around, the buggles in the mix just magically disappear! The boy loves his buggles! Hence why I made an all buggles trash. Let's just say he was a wee bit happy :)

Jerky for the Brother

And then there is my brother, who loves his beef jerky. We grew up with a second mother, Sandy. I have mentioned her and her husband in a previous post about the buttermilk-brined pork chops. She gave me (along with a dehydrator) her amazing beef jerky recipe as a wedding gift. My brother and I used to fight over this jerky when we were kids. I literally made myself sick from eating too much at one point during my childhood. I knew this was the perfect gift for my brother.

(Side note - Thank you Sandy for making this jerky when we were kids. I NOW know how time consuming it is!!)

32 hours later I had some delicious, homemade beef jerky. I will share the recipe at a later time. For now, I am going to enjoy Christmas with my family - the most important people in my life.

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays!!

Love,
Kettler Cuisine