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This buttery hazelnut brittle is rich, crunchy, and downright addictive. Made from scratch with roasted hazelnuts, caramelized sugar, and a sprinkle of sea salt, it’s the perfect mix of sweet and nutty.
Break it into shards and wrap it up for holiday gifts, or keep it all to yourself. I won’t judge.
Reasons You’ll Want to Make This
There’s something special about homemade candy. It looks impressive but comes together faster than you’d think.
This hazelnut brittle recipe has deep caramel flavor, a glossy finish, and a satisfying snap. The roasted hazelnuts give it a nutty warmth that’s hard to beat, especially when paired with a little salt on top.
If you’ve only ever made peanut brittle, this version is next-level. And since Oregon grows some of the best hazelnuts around, it feels right to let them shine.
What You’ll Need To Make It
The full list of ingredients with quantities is in the card below, but here’s a quick overview.
You’ll need sugar, butter, water, and light corn syrup. You can easily make hazelnut brittle with no corn syrup by swapping in honey or golden syrup.
Add baking soda for the perfect airy crunch, roasted hazelnuts for that signature flavor, and a finishing touch of flaky sea salt.
How to Make Hazelnut Brittle
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick summary.
- Start by cooking the sugar, butter, and water until the mixture turns golden and hits the hard crack stage.
- Stir in baking soda (it’ll bubble like crazy) and immediately add the roasted hazelnuts.
- Spread the mixture onto parchment paper and sprinkle with sea salt.
Once it cools, break it apart into beautiful, crunchy pieces.
Substitutions and Variations
A few small changes can make this hazelnut brittle your own.
- Use almonds, pecans, or macadamia nuts for a twist.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon or chili for extra flavor.
- Drizzle with dark chocolate once cooled for a gourmet finish.
- Skip the corn syrup and use golden syrup for a UK-style hazelnut brittle recipe variation.
- Add a more salt to the sweet and make Bourbon Bacon Brittle.
Learn From Me
I used to be intimidated by making candy, but this recipe changed that.
Keep a close eye on the color; it goes from perfect amber to burnt in seconds.
Once you pour it out, don’t fuss with it. Just let it cool completely before breaking it into pieces. Trust me, it’s one of the most satisfying parts of the process.
And fair warning: once you learn how to make hazelnut brittle, you’ll be making it every holiday season.
More Homemade Candy Recipes
If you’re like me and love to create amazing treats at home that you can share as gifts, I’m confident you’ll enjoy these favorites.
- Copycat See’s Bordeaux
- Salted Mocha Caramels or Salted Vanilla Bean Caramels
- Homemade fudge including my the best Five Minute Microwave Fudge
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Pin ItHazelnut Brittle
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 8 ounces roasted hazelnuts skins removed
- Fleur de sel or crushed Maldon sea salt
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large saucepan, combine the 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup unsalted butter and 1/3 cup light corn syrup and bring to a boil. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel is light brown and reaches 300° F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes. Note that around 250° F the mixture will start to thicken.
- Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
- Stir in the 8 ounces roasted hazelnuts, then immediately scrape the brittle onto lined baking sheet. Spread the brittle into a thin, even layer. Work fast – it will set quickly. Sprinkle with Fleur de sel or crushed Maldon sea salt.
- After the brittle cools for at least 30 minutes, you can break it into large chunks.
- Stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It doesn’t say how
Much butter! Just 1 butter. Tablespoon, cube, cup, pound, what?
Oh my! I have no idea what happened there. 1/2 cup butter. I’ve updated the recipe.
I’m obsessed with this brittle! I’ve made it a few times now and it’s very reliable. I have also used it to make a vegan version using Vitalite and it was perfect! Thank you for sharing.
Can you add salt to the recipe instead of sprinkling it on after it’s made? I think I might like it better that way. It is good though. I prefer cashews or peanuts in my brittle, but this is still good and really easy. A friend had given us a couple of bags of these nuts, so brittle sounded like a good way to use them. One bag was 12 oz instead of 8 oz, and I used the entire 12 ounces, and it worked just fine.
Glad you liked it! Yes, you can definitely add the salt directly to the brittle.
Love brittle!! It’s so tasty, crunchy, & makes the best gifts!!
Oh my goodness, I wouldn’t be able to stop eating this! Looks so tasty!
This hazelnut brittle is the perfect dessert and gift idea around the holidays!
I love making brittle as holiday gifts. Hazelnut brittle is an extra special way to make it and came out so yummy!
Hey! The recipe looks tempting! By the way, did you know it says Cashew Brittle?
Doh! I was totally planning on making cashew brittle (I even wrote about it in the post) but changed my mind. Thanks for letting me know. I updated it!
Dear Krissy,
The Hazelnut Brittle sounds great and I will make it soon!!
Your email relplies are cute, tiny mistakes and all…you are awesome!
Cheers!
Marcus
Thanks! I’m not so great with proofreading… but at least you know it’s me!
My husband and I just made this with hazelnuts from our state of Oregon. It is delicious! We made it as a small gift for friends, but will need to make more as this batch may end up as all ours!