Persian New Year Brittle Cookies (Sohan Asali)

My boyfriend is half Persian on his father's side so when Persian New Year came around in March I seized an opportunity to try something new. My very good friend Nina from work is also Persian and offered me this New Year recipe to try for the occasion. The symbolism is that at New Year in Iran you place a number of things on your table to represent new life, fortune and good luck. Due to these looking like little golden coins; they represent fortune in the coming year. But mainly they're just delicious!

Makes around 25-30 cookies   Prep time 25 mins   Cooking Time O mins

Ingredients:

2 Cups white sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 Cup slivered/flaked almonds, lightly toasted
1/3 Cup pistachios, slivered or crushed for garnish
4 tbsp Unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 tbsp Rose water
½ tsp saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons of hot water

Equipment:

Casserole/sauté pan (this should be like a frying pan but with deeper edges)

Wooden spoon

Table spoon

Cup measurement

Pestle and mortar (you can also use a tea towel and a rolling pin)

Large flat baking tray (but you can also just use your kitchen counter-top with parchment

Parchment/baking paper

Cover a large baking tray with parchment paper or you can place a long strip directly onto your kitchen counter-top. This is simply a flat surface to set your brittles on. Crush the pistachios into a chunky dust and keep these in a bowl nearby. 

In your pan combine the sugar, honey and butter and place the pan on a medium heat on the hob for about 7-10 minutes or until sugar is completely dissolved. Swirl the pan around a few times, try not to stir the hot sugar as generally it crystallizes and leaves you with a grainy texture. 

Whilst this cooks you can prepare your saffron; if you’re using saffron power you can skip this step, however, if you are using full saffron you will need to crush it into a find powder in a pestle and mortar or in a cup with the back of a spoon. Then add the water and allow the saffron to infuse.

Lower the heat and add the saffron and rose water, gently stir/swirl once or twice with a wooden spoon.

Add in the almonds into the sugar mixture, stir well and cook for another 5-7 minutes on the lowest temperature setting. 

Next you will need to check the sugar is at the soft ball stage, this is when the sugar becomes brittle. I don’t own a sugar thermometer myself so to do this by dropping a few drops of the sugar mixture into a glass of cold water then having a taste! If the texture snaps then it’s ready, if it’s chewy and bendy then keep going until you have the right snappy texture. 

When your mixture is ready, start spooning out the mixture on the parchment paper using a tablespoon so you have rough circles around 7cm in diameter. As quickly as you can and sprinkle the crushed pistachios on top. Allow them to cool completely. 

Remove the sohan asali from the tray, store in an airtight container and serve them the next day. This will ensure optimum snappiness! 

Serve with a hot cup of sweetened mint or Turkish tea or just PG Tips – whatever you prefer!