Recipe: Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Pumpkin Seed Brittle
Newsgroup: rec.food.cooking/Nancy Dooley
Makes about 1 pound of brittle

3/4 cup purchased shelled pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pumpkin seeds on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until seeds are slightly darker in color. Cool completely on pan; set aside.

Butter sides of a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Using a pastry brush dipped in hot water, wash down any sugar crystals on sides of pan. Attach candy thermometer to pan, making sure thermometer does not touch bottom of pan. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil. Do not stir while syrup is boiling. Continue to cook until syrup reaches hard crack stage (approximately 300 to 310 degrees) and turns light golden in color. Test about 1/2 tsp. syrup in ice water. Syrup should form brittle threads in ice water and remain brittle when removed from water. Remove from heat and add pumpkin seeds, butter and salt; stir until butter melts. Add soda (syrup will foam); stir until soda dissolves. Pour syrup into a buttered 10x15-inch jellyroll pan. Using a buttered spatula, spread syrup to edges of pan. Cool completely. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.