This almond brittle, known as “croccante di mandorle” or “Gattò de mendula” (Sardinian) is a traditional sweet from Sardinia, Italy. Made with just a few simple ingredients — toasted almonds, sugar, and what makes it truly special orange or lemons zest.
Crunchy texture with incredible almond and caramel flavor makes this almond brittle truly irresistible. It comes together in 20 minutes but disappears even faster. Decorated with sugar sprinkles it’s the genuine 3-ingredients festive looking treat to make for the holidays.
In Sardinia, Gattò de mendula is often prepared right in front of you at the market stands during village festivals or feasts (sagre in Italian) where you can taste it and buy a box or two. Almond Brittle is also very popular served as a part of dessert table on weddings and other celebrations.
Table Of Contents
Ingredients & Variations
- Slivered Almonds – raw slivered almonds is the best choice. You’ll get the most flavor toasting them yourself plus having them warm is an essential step of the recipe.
- Sugar – white sugar, the same amount by weight of the almonds.
- Orange zest – pairs perfectly with toasted almonds. Make sure to use untreated organic oranges. Alternatively use lemon zest.
- Sugar sprinkles (optional) – Sardinians always decorate their croccante with a little festive touch.
How To Make – Step By Step
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Start by toasting slivered almonds in pan on medium low heat. Toss and stir them frequently to avoid burning.
- Once almonds are nicely toasted, add finely grated orange zest. Stir to combine and keep in a warm pan.
EXTRA TIP: Use leftover orange pulp to make freshly squeezed orange juice or better yet make this delicious Italian Fruit Salad.
- In an aluminum pot add a few tablespoons of sugar. Add as much or as little (depending on the size of your pot) to cover the bottom of the pot with sugar in a thin layer. Set on low heat. Without ever touching it wait until sugar starts to melt.
- Once little to no white sugar is visible (photo a), add another tablespoon or two, sprinkling it over melted sugar as evenly as possible (photo b). Swirl the pot slightly to help the sugar melt faster. Continue adding and melting more sugar until you’ve finished it all.
PAY ATTENTION: Never step away or turn up the heat to speed up the process. Sugar can burn very fast.
- Just when you’re ready to add the last 3-4 tablespoons, reheat the pan with toasted almonds so they become hot again.
- Once all sugar is melted add slivered almonds to the pot with caramelized sugar and stir quickly to combine with a wooden spoon.
- Immediately place hot almond brittle on a parchment paper, cover it with another piece of parchment paper.
- Using a rolling pin roll to about ⅛” – ⅙” (3-5 millimiters) thickness.
PAY ATTENTION: Work fast as the caramelized paste with start to harden very quickly and become very hard/impossible to roll thin.
- Once rolled out, peel the top layer of parchment paper and decorate with sugar sprinkles. Pass the rolling pin on top to help the sprinkles set (photo g).
- Cut with a large sharp knife immediately white almond brittle is still warm. You can use a piece of carton to make guidelines and further cut into diamond shapes (photo h) but squares, rectangles and even irregular shapes don’t change its outstanding flavor.
EXTRA TIP: If you’re not planning to decorate your almond brittle with sugar sprinkles you can brush parchment paper with a little oil. It makes parchment paper easier to peel off.
Top Tips – Don’t Miss
- Keep the heat on low. When preparing caramelized sugar patience is key. If you rush it it’ll burn faster than you blink. So melt it slowly on low heat, a few tablespoons at a time just enough to cover the bottom of the pot.
- Work fast. Once caramelized sugar is melted work fast every next step. Your goal is to roll the brittle white it’s still hot. When it starts to cool it’ll harden fast.
- Make a small batch. If it’s your first time making this recipe you can try it even with a small batch. Simply use equal amounts by weight of slivered almond and sugar. This way you can get a handle of the technique and the process.
- Use an aluminum pot. Don’t use non-stick, cast-iron or enamel cookware to caramelize sugar. They’ll be a disaster to clean and you risk ruining their coating.
- Soak the pot. Once you’re done rolling and cutting almond brittle, fill the pot that you used to caramelize sugar with warm water and let sit for a few hours then rinse.
- Candy wrap or parchment paper. Use candy wrapers if you plan to gift it or parchment paper cut into small pieces to arrange almond brittle individually on a dessert tray.
More Easy Desserts To Try
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Full Recipe
Sardinian Almond Brittle
Make this incredibly simple almond brittle or croccante di mandorle with only two ingredients. Toasty, crunchy almonds covered with caramelized sugar and a hint of orange are simply irresistible!
SERVINGS: 30 pieces
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Ingredients
- 250 grams slivered almonds
- 250 grams white sugar
- 2 oranges (zest only)
- Sugar sprinkles
Instructions
Toast Almonds
-
Start by toasting slivered almonds in pan on medium low heat. Toss and stir them frequently to avoid burning.
-
Once almonds are nicely toasted add finely grated orange zest. Stir to combine and keep in a warm pan.
Caramelize Sugar & Combine
-
In an aluminum pot add a few tablespoons of sugar. Add as much or as little (depending on the size of your pot) that is enough to cover the bottom of the pot with sugar in a thin layer. Set on low heat. Without ever touching it wait until sugar starts to melt. Once little to no white sugar is visible add another tablespoon or two sprinkling it over melted sugar as evenly as possible. Swirl the pot slightly to help the sugar melt faster. NEVER step away or turn up the heat to speed up the process. Sugar can burn very fast. Continue adding and melting more sugar until you’ve finished it all.
-
Just when you’re ready to add the last 3-4 tablespoons, reheat the pan with toasted almonds so they become hot again.
-
Once all sugar is melted add slivered almonds to the pot with caramelized sugar and stir quickly to combine with a wooden spoon.
Roll Out (Work Very Fast)
-
Immediately place hot almond brittle on a parchment paper, cover it with another piece of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll to about ⅛” – ⅙” (3-5 millimiters) thickness. Work fast as the caramelized paste with start to harden very quickly and become very hard/impossible to roll thin.
-
Once rolled out, peel the top layer of parchment paper and decorated with sugar sprinkles. Pass the rolling pin on top to help the sprinkles set.
-
Cut with a large sharp knife immediately white almond brittle is still warm. In Sardinia it’s typically cut into diamond shapes but squares, rectangles and even irregular shapes don’t change its outstanding flavor.
-
Arrange on pieces of parchment paper or wrap in a candy wrap for individual serving or gifting.
Nutrition
Calories: 80kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.001gSodium: 0.2mgPotassium: 61mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 0.1IUCalcium: 23mgIron: 0.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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