Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Almond crackling is a thin, brittle sheet of caramelised almonds — nothing more than chopped almonds bound in a Florentine mix and baked until it turns deep gold and sets hard as it cools. Broken into shards it looks like amber glass with the nuts suspended inside; crushed, it becomes a crunchy praline-like grit.
It is one of the most useful garnishes to keep on hand in cake work. Press the crushed crackling around the sides of a cream-coated cake, scatter it over mousse cakes and tortes, or stand a few large shards upright on top for height and shine. The flavour is toasted almond and caramel, and the texture stays crisp for weeks as long as it is kept dry.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 500
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: baking tray of crackling, about 30 x 25 cm
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WEIGHT
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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250 |
0.6 pound
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Almond Nips
Almond nips are blanched almonds chopped into small, even dice, roughly the size of a grain of rice. They toast quickly and evenly, which makes them ideal for crunchy garnishes, praline and nut coatings. Slivered or roughly chopped blanched almonds can be used in their place.
blanched, diced
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B
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250 |
0.6 pound
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Florentine Mix
Florentine mix is a ready-made caramel base used by pastry kitchens for Florentine biscuits and nut brittles, usually a blend of sugar, glucose, butter, cream and pectin. It melts to a thick caramel that sets hard and crisp once baked and cooled. A homemade version can be made by boiling together equal parts sugar, glucose, butter and cream with a little pectin.
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500
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Pre-heat |
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (355°F) and line a flat baking tray with a silicone mat or good baking paper. |
Tray must be flat so the sheet bakes to an even thickness |
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2 |
Melt |
Warm B (florentine mix) gently in a saucepan over low heat, stirring, until it is smooth and pourable. |
Melted and fluid, not boiling hard or darkening |
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3 |
Mix |
Take the pan off the heat and stir A (almond nips) through the warm mix until every piece is coated. |
Nuts evenly coated, no dry patches |
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4 |
Spread |
Tip the mixture onto the lined tray and spread it out thinly and evenly with an offset spatula. |
A thin, open layer — thick spots stay chewy instead of crisp |
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5 |
Bake |
Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, turning the tray once, until the caramel has spread, is bubbling and has turned an even golden brown. |
Deep gold all over; the edges colour first, so watch them closely |
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6 |
Level |
Straight out of the oven, press the surface flat with the back of a spoon or a second sheet of baking paper if it has spread unevenly. |
Work fast while the caramel is still soft |
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7 |
Cut |
If you want neat pieces, let it firm for two or three minutes, then cut into strips, triangles or squares with an oiled knife or a pizza wheel. |
Still warm and pliable, not yet brittle |
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Cool |
Leave the sheet on the tray to cool completely, then lift it off and snap it into shards, or break it up and crush it for a nut coating. |
Hard, glassy and snapping cleanly |
Important Notes
This quantity makes about 500 g of crackling, enough for one home baking tray. Keep it in an airtight container with a sheet of baking paper between layers, somewhere dry and cool — never the fridge, as moisture will make it go sticky and soft. Kept dry it stays crisp for several weeks. Crush it for coating the sides of cream-finished cakes, or break it into large shards for standing upright as a decoration. If the sheet softens, a few minutes back in a warm oven and a fresh cooling will crisp it up again.
Tools & Arrangements
Saucepan, heatproof spatula, flat baking tray, silicone baking mat or baking paper, offset spatula, oiled knife or pizza wheel, airtight storage container.
