Savory Maple Nut Brittle is the perfect unique DIY gift this holiday season. It also makes a great pre-meal snack!

It’s our Second Day of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

We have teamed up with 50 plus bloggers to bring you oodles of DIY Ideas and Recipes to make your holiday season merrier. There are 12 different posts in the series and we have spread them out over a four week period with three posts per week. Now is the time to subscribe!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers! If you missed Day 1, it was DIY Wreaths!

It’s Day 2 and we are sharing DIY Gift Ideas!

Peanut Brittle is all the rage this time of year. But what if we made it all natural with maple syrup instead of corn syrup, mixed nuts instead of peanuts, and then… then! What if we made it savory and spicy?! Whaaaaat! That is exactly what you’re looking at here. Nut Brittle that’s full of real maple and that major sweetness is offset by smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and wait for it… thyme. Yes! Somebody put a fresh herb in your holiday candy and you couldn’t be more excited about it.

Need a unique teacher/co-worker/large batch gift that you can give to the masses? Savory Maple Nut Brittle is your answer. Everyone is giving and getting candy this time of year, but nobody else is giving candy that’ll leave your tastebuds tingling and wondering, “what the heck?! Gimme more!”

Scroll down for many more DIY Gift Ideas!

Yield: 15 pieces

Savory Maple Nut Brittle

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup raw pecans
• 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 2 1/2 cups real maple syrup

Instructions

1. Roughly chop the nuts, add them to a skillet over medium heat, and toast until golden brown and fragrant, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Toss with the sesame seeds, sea salt, paprika, cayenne, and thyme. Set aside.
2. Line a cookie sheet with a Silpat and keep it close by the stove where you'll be cooking the maple syrup. Keep a second Silpat close by as well.
3. Heat the maple syrup in a large pot over high heat. Once it starts to boil, attach a candy thermometer to the pot, and allow the maple syrup to cook until it reaches 250F hard ball stage, about 10 minutes.
4. With the maple syrup still on the heat, add the nut mixture and quickly stir to coat well.
5. Pour the maple nut mixture onto the Silpat-lined cookie sheet. Place the second Silpat on top and use it to press down the nuts into an even layer.
6. Allow the nut brittle to cool completely, then break into large chunks and wrap in candy bags.