Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Walnut croquant is a simple two-ingredient crunch: a caramel florentine mix melted down and loaded with walnut pieces, then baked until it spreads into a thin golden sheet. Once cool it sets hard and glassy, snapping cleanly into shards with a deep toasted-nut flavour and a buttery caramel sweetness.
I use it wherever a cake or pastry needs texture and contrast. Broken into shards it stands up as a garnish on gateaux and desserts, cut into neat batons while still warm it tops baton-style pastries, and crushed finely it makes a crunchy layer between mousse and sponge or a coating for the sides of a cake.
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.
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Weight Per Unit: 500
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: 30 x 25 cm baking tray of thin croquant sheet
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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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 |
8.8 ounces
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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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B
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250 |
8.8 ounces
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Walnut Pieces
Walnut pieces are shelled walnut kernels broken into rough chunks. They are sold ready-chopped and are cheaper than whole halves, which makes them ideal for folding through cake batters where the nuts are not on show.
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roughly chopped |
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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
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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 quality baking paper. |
Tray completely flat so the croquant bakes to an even thickness |
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2 |
Melt |
Warm A (florentine mix) gently in a saucepan over low heat, stirring now and then. |
Melted, smooth and just beginning to bubble at the edges |
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3 |
Mix |
Take the pan off the heat and stir in B (walnut pieces). |
Every piece of walnut coated in the caramel |
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4 |
Spread |
Tip the mixture onto the prepared tray and spread it out thinly and evenly with an oiled palette knife or the back of a spoon. |
A thin, open layer — the mixture will spread further as it bakes |
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5 |
Bake |
Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes. |
Bubbling all over and an even golden amber colour, with no pale patches |
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6 |
Cut |
Let the sheet firm up for a minute or two, then, while still warm and pliable, cut it into batons, squares or triangles with an oiled knife or pizza wheel. For shards, leave it whole. |
Still soft enough to cut but no longer runny |
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Cool |
Leave the sheet on the tray until completely cold, then lift it off and snap along the cut lines or break into irregular shards. |
Hard, glassy and snapping cleanly |
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8 |
Store |
Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place, layered between sheets of baking paper. |
Keeps crisp for several weeks; humidity will make it sticky |
Important Notes
This quarter batch makes about 500 g, enough to fill one 30 x 25 cm tray as a thin sheet. Work quickly once the mixture comes off the heat, as it stiffens as it cools — if it becomes too firm to spread, warm the tray briefly in the oven. Cut while warm for neat batons to finish baton-style pastries, or leave the sheet whole and break it into shards for a rustic garnish. Crushed, it also makes a good crunchy layer inside a cake. Croquant is very sensitive to moisture: keep it airtight and dry, and do not place it on a wet cream or glaze until just before serving.
Tools & Arrangements
Small heavy-based saucepan, wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, flat baking tray, silicone baking mat or baking paper, offset palette knife, sharp knife or pizza wheel, cooling rack, airtight storage container
