Nut Crunch Recipes

TO DIE FOR BUTTERY ALMOND NUT CRUNCH

Steps:

• Heat the sugar, butter and water in a large, heavy pot with buttered sides.
• Cook rapidly and stir constantly, being careful not to scrape sides of pan.
• Cook until mixture reaches 300 degrees or the hard-crack stage, when a small amount of mixture dropped into a glass of cold water separates into threads that are hard and brittle.
• Add 1 1/2 cups of almonds and stir.
• Quickly turn the candy out onto a buttered cookie sheet.
• Form into a shape about 1 foot square.
• When almost cool, brush with melted chocolate and sprinkle with toasted almonds.
• Break into pieces when cold.

PUMPKIN NUT CRUNCH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line a 13x9x2" pan with parchment paper. Butter parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, evaporated milk, and eggs.
• Sprinkle half of the dry cake mix over batter. Spread evenly and slightly pat down.
• Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over cake mix.
• Sprinkle remaining half of dry cake mix over the nuts. Spread evenly and slightly pat down.
• Spoon melted butter evenly over cake mix.
• Bake for 50-55 minutes. When slightly cooled, invert onto serving platter and peel off parchment paper.
• To make the frosting, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in Cool Whip (it's okay to deflate it, if you don't mix it in really good, it just looks funny and uneven).
• Spread over pumpkin nut crunch.

CARAMEL MACADAMIA NUT CRUNCH

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a baking sheet, preferably rimmed.
• 2. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and 1/2 cup of water. Heat over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer, about 3 minutes. Cover the pan and continue to simmer, allowing steam from cooking mixture to wash down the sides of the pan. Remove cover and continue to simmer until the mixture turns golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Immediately remove from the stove, and, to avoid mixture bubbling over, carefully pour cream in a slow, steady stream into the pan; do not stir. Return the pot to the stove, reduce heat to low, and, using a wooden spoon, gently stir mixture until cream is completely incorporated.
• 3. Transfer the caramel to a medium heat-proof bowl, add the nuts, and stir to coat the nuts evenly. Transfer the mixture to a baking sheet, spreading it evenly, and bake until dark brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool the brittle to room temperature and chop mixture coarsely using a food processor, a cleaver or by hand.
• 4. Cut the log into twenty 1/2-inch rounds, press one cut side of each round into the brittle, and arrange the rounds 2 inches apart on all sides on a parchment-lined or nonstick cookie sheet or sheets.
• 5. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the cookies with a spatula and cool on a wire rack.

CHOCOLATE NUT CRUNCH

Steps:

• Grease a 15" X 10" cookie sheet and set aside.
• Place sugar, butter, salt and water in heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until mixture reaches soft-ball stage (234F-240F on candy thermometer).
• Stir in 1/2 cup nuts and pour onto prepared cookie sheet. Spread with greased spatula to about 1/4" thickness and set aside until cool.
• Place chocolate in heavy saucepan and cook over low heat until melted. Spread melted chocolate over cooled nut mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup nuts.
• Set aside until chocolate is firmly set.
• Break into pieces as you would peanut brittle.
• Store in airtight container.
• NOTE: You may even want to drizzle some melted white chocolate or sprinkle red or green sprinkles for serving during the holidays.

CHOCOLATE-NUT CRUNCH DESSERT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, mix nut crunch ingredients. With pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in walnuts. Spread in ungreased 13x9-inch pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in 3-quart saucepan, heat chocolate chips, marshmallows and milk over low heat, stirring constantly, just until chocolate and marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth. Refrigerate about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from a spoon.
• In chilled large bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Fold chocolate mixture into whipped cream. Fold 2 cups of the nut crunch into chocolate-cream mixture.
• In ungreased 13x9-inch pan, spread 1 cup of the nut crunch. Carefully spread chocolate-cream mixture over crunch. Sprinkle with remaining crunch (about 1 cup). Cover; refrigerate until set, at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

NUT CRUNCH

Steps:

• 1. Put nuts in a greased cookie sheet.
• 2. Cook butter and sugar over low heat in a heavy saucepan, stir constantly until the color of peanut brittle. Pour this mixture over the nuts. Cool. Break into chunks. Store in airtight container.

CHERRY NUT CRUNCH

Steps:

• Combine brown sugar, flour, and oats with butter until crumbly.
• Sprinkle one-half of crumb mixture in bottom of a 9 inch square baking dish. Pour cherry pie filling over mixture.
• Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture over top of cherry pie filling. Sprinkle with pecans.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
• Great served with ice cream!
• Enjoy!