Oat Brittle

Wotchers!

This has to be one of the shortest and salty-sweetest recipes on the blog.

Deliciously simple and infinitely customisable, what’s not to love?

Salted Caramel Oat Brittle with Salted Peanuts – although it could be with anything that takes your fancy: cranberries, apricots, cashews, macadamia nuts, flax, sesame and sunflower seeds….. I could go on, but you’re already starting to doze, so I won’t.

Regular readers will know how much I love oats, and a little bit of salt with whatever you’re putting them into really brings out their toasty flavour, so salted nuts are my number one choice.

This recipe is wonderfully moreish whether you’re using the highest quality ingredients or the cheapest of the cheap from the basics range of a supermarket. I’ve tried both and the taste is awesome whatever your budget can stretch to. The world is your crustacean of choice, but 500g of sweet and salty deliciousness for about £1.20 using basics ingredients is a bargain in anyone’s book.

Best of all there’s no need for an oven – this treat can be prepared using just one pan on the hob – who needs mountains of washing up when there’s a treat waiting to be enjoyed? Actually, with this recipe, you might do – because you’ll need something to do while you wait until it’s cooled down enough not to burn your mouth, but *waves hands dismissively* ANYHOO….

Let’s get on with the recipe!

Oat Brittle

Use a non-stick pan.

150g rolled oats

225g granulated sugar

100g butter

100g salted peanuts

1/2tsp salt (optional)

Lay a sheet of baking parchment onto a chopping board or into a roasting tin, for the hot brittle.

Pour the oats into a coarse sieve and shake to get rid of all the oat ‘flour’ that will have accumulated. There will always be some, whether you’re using the finest steel-rolled oats or budget basics. Ideally you want the finished brittle to be a delicious contrast between glossy caramel, toasty oats and crunchy peanuts, so getting rid of this ‘dust’ can only improve it’s visual appeal.

Put the oats into a dry pan and toast them over medium heat to dry them out. You will be able to smell their nuttiness as they become toasted. Light or dark, your call.

When you’re happy with the colour, pour them into a bowl and set aside.

Wipe the pan clean of any dust and pour in the sugar.

Set it over a low heat and DO NOT STIR. It will gradually melt and turn a rich caramel brown.

Keep an eye on it while you’re NOT STIRRING, and shake the pan if necessary in order to move the sugar around.

Keep NOT STIRRING until all the sugar has melted.

Add the butter and stir briskly as it melts until it is mixed in, although don’t be too diligent – you don’t want the mixture to cool too much before the rest of the ingredients are added.

Remove from the heat and add the toasted oats and nuts (and/or fruit and salt if using).

Mix thoroughly to combine.

Tip the mixture out onto the baking parchment and arrange into artistic clumps about the size of a walnut. You don’t want there to be huge lumps, because they’ll be difficult to break apart once the mixture is cooled. And then you’d have to eat those yourself *poker face* which would be a trial, but we can’t be having any waste, so somebody has to be prepared to do that.

Once cooled, break apart into bite-sized pieces and store in an airtight container or zip-lock bag.

Enjoy with coffee, tea or a good movie.