Croccante

Popular throughout Italy, especially in the south and Sicily, croccante (literally, crunchy) is a mixture of caramelized sugar and almonds left to harden. It is then broken into pieces for use as a confection or ground up for use as a flavoring. Croccante is fairly simple to prepare, but it must be handled quickly and deftly to avoid having the sugar overcook and become bitter, as well as to avoid burns.