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Salted Pepita Brittle | www.foodiewithfamily.com

Salted Pepita Brittle | Homemade Candy

Rebecca Lindamood
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Welcome fall with this sweet and salty, buttery, pepita (pumpkin seed) brittle that's bursting with caramel flavours. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from Karen DeMasco of NYMAG and The Wednesday Chef.

Ingredients
  

For a Full-Sized Batch:

  • 4 cups raw sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1/2 pound UNSALTED BUTTER *See notes 2 sticks or 16 tablespoons
  • 2/3 cup light corn syrup or mild honey
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons coarse flaky sea salt 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt can be substituted if necessary
  • 3 cups raw pepitas

For a Half-Sized Batch:

  • 2 cups raw sugar
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 pound UNSALTED BUTTER *See Notes 1 stick or 8 tablespoons
  • 1/3 cup light corn syrup or mild honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon coarse flaky sea salt 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt can be substituted if necessary
  • 1 1/2 cups raw pepitas

Necessary Equipment:

  • Candy thermometer or instant read thermometer that can read above 300°F.
  • 1 half sheet pan 13-inch by 18-inch by 1-inch
  • Parchment paper
  • Offset spatula

Instructions
 

  • Line your sheet pan with a piece of parchment so that the bottom and sides are covered completely. Use two pieces if you must to get full coverage. Using one piece is ideal as it will shift less while you're pushing the brittle into place, but two can be used. Set aside.
  • In a large stainless steel or other nonreactive pot over medium high heat, stir together the sugar, water, butter, and corn syrup or honey until the butter and sugar are both melted. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring down as necessary. You may need to lower the heat to medium if it is bubbling too close to the rim of the pan. Continue boiling, stirring down when you need to, until the mixture has thickened, darkened slightly, and reached 302°F on a candy or instant read thermometer. Remove from the heat, add the baking soda, and stir carefully as the molten candy will foam up alarmingly. Stir in the salt, then the pepitas, and scrape the contents of the pot into your prepared pan. Working quickly because the candy hardens fast, use the offset spatula to push the candy around so that it is more or less even in the pan. Let cool for about 10 minutes, or until it is set up around the edges and on top. The center will still hold an indentation when pressed gently and carefully with your hand (don't push hard, hot candy HURTS! Carefully scoot the parchment out of the pan onto a cutting board and score it while it is still warm and fairly pliable. Let it cool completely before breaking apart where you scored it. Store the totally cooled brittle in single layers with parchment or waxed paper between the layers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
  • You can extend the life of the brittle by freezing in a moisture proof container, but it will soften slightly if thawed, so I recommend eating the frozen brittle in its still frozen state.

Notes

*I highly recommend UNSALTED butter for this recipe. If you can't find it, you can substitute salted butter and reduce the salt specified in the recipe by half. Don't forget to do this or your brittle will be almost inedibly salty!

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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