Almond and Seeds Crisps/Brittle

I have just finished baking my pineapple tarts and that left me with lots of egg whites. What should I do with it? There were a couple options but this Almond and Seeds Crisp seems to be the best pairing. Amongst all the wonderful yummy Chinese New Year Chinese snacks, this is the lesser evil. It is made of almond flakes, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, all heavily loaded with vitamins and minerals. It is baked and not fried. And if that is not enough to convince you, it is awfully scrumptious in its mildly sweetened, aromatic and super crunchy combination. This is one snack that I am happy to be addicted to. And boy, was I addicted! I prided myself in having great self-restraint but when it comes to this snack, all reservations seem to go down the drain. I nibbled, and nibbled and nibbled...still nibbling as we speak.

The recipe that I am using is adapted from my previous Almond Crisps post. I did give it an overhaul. I used two egg whites instead of three to quicken the baking process. It tasted a tad less eggy, but makes baking a whole lot faster. And finally, I added sunflower seeds and black sesame seeds. You couldn't get a better combination in terms of nutritional value, taste and texture.

Click on links below to find out more about the nutritional values of each ingredient:
1. Almonds
2. Sunflower seeds
3. Sesame seeds

The process of making this is simple enough. You practically just mix everything into a bowl and then spread it thinly to be baked. It however requires a little attention in its baking stage. The batter tends to brown from the outer side first. To ensure the whole crisp is baked evenly, you could break off the browned parts and let the rest continue to crisp up. I cut the crisps into rectangles and swapped with the pale ones from the middle. Works wonderfully for me.

Almond and Seeds Crisps/Brittle 

Makes two sheets of crisps

Ingredients

2 large egg whites (75 g)

30 g plain flour (1/4 cup)

55 g sugar (1/4 cup)

30 g butter/margarine, melted (3 tbsp)

70 g almond flakes (3/4 cup)

25 g sunflower seeds (1/4 cup)

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Cooking Instruction

1. Combine sugar and egg white in a mixing bowl. Using a fork or spatula, mix until sugar is dissolved. You need not whisk, just to get sugar to dissolve.

2. Add in melted butter/margarine and combine well.

3. Sift in flour and mix well. Use a strainer to strain out lumps.

4. Add in almond flakes, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds and mix until all are combined.

5. Line baking tray with a piece of baking paper. Pour half the mixture onto paper and use the back of a spoon to spread the mixture evenly and as thinly as possible on the paper (note: if you have a bigger oven you could actually make a bigger sheet).

6. Bake at a preheated oven at 170C for 15-20 minutes. The sides would get browned first. I normally cut into rectangles and swap the outer brown sides with the inner rectangles to get even browning/crisping. Alternatively, just break the crispy outer part and let the inner continue to cook. After baking, leave it inside the oven to be cooked in the residue heat (I just leave it until the oven cools). This would guarantee to give you an even crunchy crisp. 

7. Cool completely before storing in air-tight jars.

Note:
1. If the crisp is not crunchy/brown after cooking, reheat the oven and cook in low heat until you achieve the desired results. 
2. If the sides brown too quickly, reduce heat.

Don't like seeds? Check out my previous post on Almond Crisps/Brittle here: