Why it works: Sugar and chocolate are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,404 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Brazilian Nut Crunch
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Grease a baking sheet.
Make the brittle
In a heavy skillet, cook the sugar over low heat, stirring constantly until melted.
Add the baking soda and 1 cup of the ground brazil nuts.
Turn the mixture onto a greased baking sheet immediately.
Using a rolling pin, roll the brittle until about 1/4 inch thick.
While the brittle is still warm, cut it into squares with a knife.
Finish and serve
When the brittle is cold, spread melted chocolate over it and sprinkle the remaining nuts on top.
Allow the chocolate to set, then break the brittle into pieces.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Brazil Nut | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Brazil nut + chocolatetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
-
Sugar + brazil nuttop 24% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Melts and hardens into the brittle's crisp, glassy structure.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the hot sugar to create gas bubbles that lighten the brittle's texture.
- Ground brazil nuts
- Add nutty flavour and body to the brittle.
- Chocolate chips
- Melted and spread over the cooled brittle to add a sweet, rich topping.
The step that matters
Stirring the sugar over low heat until melted. Sugar can crystallise or scorch if heated unevenly or too fast. Low heat with constant stirring melts it smoothly into a clear syrup, which is needed for a crisp, non-grainy brittle.
Swap the brazil nut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, chocolate):
- Hazelnutfits better
- Almondfits better
- Peanutfits better
- Brazil nutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, chocolate. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
You might also like
Chocolate Cream171 recipes
Chocolate Cookies76 recipes
Chocolate Fudge55 recipes
Chocolate Drop Cookies50 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.