Pumpkin Seed Brittle Recipes

PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Place the oil and seeds into a 10-inch saute pan and set over medium-high heat. Toast the seeds while constantly moving the pan. You will smell their aroma and hear some of them begin to crackle when they are toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the seeds to a small mixing bowl, add the cayenne, cinnamon and salt and stir to combine.
• Line a half sheet pan with a silicone baking mat.
• Place a 3-quart saucier inside a large cast iron skillet. Add the sugar and water to the saucepan, and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until it comes to a boil. Stop stirring, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the sugar is a light amber color, approximately 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pumpkin seed mixture. This will greatly reduce the temperature of the sugar, so work quickly. Once evenly mixed, pour the mixture onto the prepared half sheet pan. Using an oiled spatula, spread thin. You will have to work quickly when pouring out and spreading the mixture in the pan. Cool completely, approximately 30 minutes, and then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

PUMPKIN-SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet; set aside.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar and honey. Bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until mixture is medium amber and a candy thermometer registers 280 degrees, about 6 minutes. Stir in pumpkin seeds. Cook until mixture reaches 300 degrees, about 2 minutes. Pour onto prepared baking sheet. Let cool completely. Break into pieces.

CHEF JOHN'S PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
• Stir pumpkin seeds and sea salt together in a bowl.
• Stir sugar, corn syrup, and water together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add butter and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Boil until mixture is dark golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat; whisk in baking soda.
• Pour pumpkin seeds into sugar mixture and stir until well-combined. Transfer pumpkin seed mixture to prepared baking sheet. Place another silicone baking mat over the top of the pumpkin seed mixture and press down to make an even surface for the brittle. Let harden for about 30 seconds; remove top baking mat. Score surface with a knife to form desired shapes. Cool to room temperature and break into pieces.

PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
• Combine sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved and turned a golden brown color. Immediately add pumpkin seeds and mix well to coat with the caramelized sugar.
• Spread the very hot pumpkin seed mix thinly onto the prepared baking sheet. Let cool to room temperature. Break or cut into bite-sized pieces. Store in an airtight container in a cool place or in the refrigerator.

DARK CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN SEED PEANUT BRITTLE

Steps:

• Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place the butter, baking soda and kosher salt in a small bowl and place next to the stove. Combine the peanuts, pumpkin seeds and wheat germ in a medium bowl, and place next to the stove.
• Combine 3/4 cup water, the sugar and corn syrup in a large pot set over high heat. Attach a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan, making sure it doesn't touch the bottom of the pot. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 280 degrees F and is amber-colored, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, and very carefully add in the butter mixture and stir vigorously for 45 seconds. The mixture will bubble up aggressively and lighten to an orange-caramel color, if it gets darker, the caramel has gotten too hot and will taste burnt. Stir in the nuts and wheat germ. Immediately pour the mixture onto the prepared pan and spread it out in an even layer. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler (or in a heat-proof bowl set over barely simmering water) over medium-low heat until smooth and shiny, about 5 minutes. Spread the chocolate over the brittle then sprinkle the sea salt over the top. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm and cool to the touch, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
• Break the brittle into 2- to 3-inch chunks. Store in an airtight container.

PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Put a 24- by 12-inch sheet of parchment on a work surface and anchor corners with pieces of tape. Bring sugar, water, and sea salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cook mixture, without stirring, washing down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water, until syrup registers 238°F (soft-ball stage) on thermometer, 10 to 12 minutes (sugar syrup will be colorless). Remove from heat and stir in seeds with a wooden spoon, then continue stirring until syrup crystallizes, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Return pan to moderate heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sugar melts completely (sugar will continue to dry and become grainy before melting) and turns a deep caramel color, 4 to 5 minutes more (seeds will be toasted). Carefully pour hot caramel mixture onto parchment and carefully cover with another sheet. Immediately roll out (between sheets of parchment) as thinly as possible with a rolling pin, pressing firmly. Remove top sheet of parchment and immediately cut brittle into pieces with a heavy knife or pizza wheel. Cool brittle completely, then peel paper from bottom. (Alternately, break brittle into pieces once cool.)

ROASTED PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, toss pumpkin seeds and oil until coated. Spread evenly in ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. In same bowl, mix warm pumpkin seeds, salt, paprika and allspice. Set aside.
• Grease 2 cookie sheets with butter. In 3-quart heavy saucepan, mix sugar, water and corn syrup. Cover; cook over medium heat 2 minutes. Cook uncovered over medium heat 25 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently, to 300°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into cup of very cold water separates into hard, brittle threads. (Watch carefully so mixture does not burn.) Remove from heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the seasoned pumpkin seeds; stir until butter is melted. Immediately stir in baking soda.
• Pour mixture onto cookie sheets and quickly spread to 1/4 inch thick with buttered spatula. Cool completely. Break into pieces. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

PUMPKIN-SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Set aside a large nonstick baking mat or a sheet of oiled aluminum foil. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cream of tartar, and 1/2 cup water. Place over low heat, and stir until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high to bring mixture to a boil. Allow to boil without stirring until syrup turns golden amber, about 10 minutes. (Do not leave unattended as syrup caramelizes suddenly and burns easily.)
• Remove from heat, and quickly add pumpkin seeds. Tilt pan to coat seeds evenly. Immediately pour onto baking mat or foil, trying to spread mixture in a thin layer. Use a spatula to spread mixture evenly before it begins to set and harden.
• Allow to cool and harden completely before breaking into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

PUMPKIN-SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• In a heavy skillet combine the sugar and the water, cook the mixture over moderately low heat, stirring and washing down the sugar crystals with a brush dipped in cold water until the sugar is dissolved, and simmer it, undisturbed, tilting and rotating the skillet, until it is a deep caramel color. Stir in the pumpkin seeds, stirring until they are coated well, and turn the mixture out onto a buttered sheet of foil, spreading it evenly. Let the brittle cool completely and break it into pieces.
• To toast pumpkin seeds:
• In a bowl toss the seeds with the oil and salt to taste and on an ungreased baking sheet bake them in the middle of a preheated 250°F. oven, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour to 1 1/4 hours, or until they are golden and crisp. (Alternatively the prepared seeds may be spread in a microwave-safe glass baking dish, microwaved at high power (100%), stirring after every minute, for 4 minutes, and microwaved at medium power (50%), stirring after every 2 minutes, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they are crisp.) Makes 1/2 cups.