Crunch without nuts

[BadRabbit]

I hate nuts in my food. I am not averse to them as stand alone snacks; I just don't like them in things.

That said, there are plenty of times where I really want to add a textural element to a dessert or savory dish when I know most people would just add nuts.

What are some other options?

[ElsieD]

Skor bits.

[Peter the eater]

Bacon bits.

[Chris Hennes]

Rice Krispies. They can also be coated with a thin layer of caramel to make them more water-resistant I think, but they work nicely on their own as a coating on truffles and the like. There are also extensive possibilities for various deep-fried things.

[BadRabbit]

Rice Krispies. They can also be coated with a thin layer of caramel to make them more water-resistant I think, but they work nicely on their own as a coating on truffles and the like. There are also extensive possibilities for various deep-fried things.

This is actually what got me thinking about this subject. I hate chocolate bars with nuts but love them with Rice Krispies. The "crunch" of nuts always seems to be more muted (and to me much less enjoyable) than what you get from puffed rice or toffee.

[Robbie]

corn flakes are pretty classic, I've been using them to add crunch to chicken or fish for years. My wife uses them to add some crunch to her chocolatey-peanut butter bars and they are awesome too

[andiesenji]

My local health food store carries a nut-free muesli which is quite crunchy and holds this crunch in baked goods.

I use it in cookie bars and have used it in frosting for "German chocolate cake" for people who have nut allergies.

I'm pretty sure I have seen it at Whole Foods, although it has been a few weeks since I visited the store.

[merstar]

Pretzels.

[Chris Amirault]

Sweet croutons.

[JTravel]

Sweet croutons.

How? What? Sounds interesting.

In the Netherlands I bought a couple of cones of broken Syrup Waffle bits. Wish I'd bought more. I'm thinking crispy pizelles(?) would be good

[Chris Amirault]

Croutons are just toasted bread, either in the oven or a pan with fat. So use butter, cut the bread into fine dice, and make a sweet spice mix: viola!

[LindaK]

Sweet croutons.

How? What? Sounds interesting.

In the Netherlands I bought a couple of cones of broken Syrup Waffle bits. Wish I'd bought more. I'm thinking crispy pizelles(?) would be good

try corn bread croutons. yum!

In the sweet category, crumbled amaretti cookies are great with ice cream.

[Peter the eater]

Extra crunch can come from uncooked noodles such as crumbled ramen on a salad.

[heidih]

Extra crunch can come from uncooked noodles such as crumbled ramen on a salad.

or those fried noodles called Chow Mein that every market had- great in salads

[Genkinaonna]

Cocoa nibs, definitely. I've had them in both savory and sweet applications where they were highly successful.

[Luke]

Crushed Honeycomb?

[judiu]

Sweet croutons.

How? What? Sounds interesting.

In the Netherlands I bought a couple of cones of broken Syrup Waffle bits. Wish I'd bought more. I'm thinking crispy pizelles(?) would be good

Why not get sugar cones made for ice cream, and crunch them up?

[tmjst]

Crushed toffee.

[Doodad]

Those dried pea and corn snacks? Or Chicharrones?

[cbread]

Crushed ginger snaps work too.

[Paul Bacino]

Fish with Chips..

These were a Pepper Kettle Chip!!

[annachan]

Broken up amaretti cookies and wafers, feuilletine.

[Pets de Soeurs]

Crushed macaron shells.

[OliverB]

I second the potato chip idea, either just as they are, or crushed and sprinkled over, or used as breading as above. As they are I prefer really thin chips, for "brading" I like the thick cut ones better.

[dhardy123]

I tried a recipe from Anne Burrell that coated Halibut in instant mashed potato flakes. It was nice and crunchy. You can view the recipe on the Food Network website (Crispy Herb Crusted Halibut with Curly Celery and Haricots Verts)