Maple Bourbon Pumpkin Seed Brittle Food

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.

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.

SPICED MAPLE PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds, stir to coat with oil, and gently toast for 2 minutes. You don't want to fully toast the seeds yet, so they shouldn't brown. Remove the pan from the heat, sprinkle in spices, and toss to coat. Set aside.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
• In a large saucepan with a candy thermometer set up, combine sugar, maple syrup, and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar begins to boil, stop stirring. Cook until the sugar reaches 300⁰F, using a wet pastry brush to wipe down any crystallized sugar from the sides of the pan as needed. When the sugar reaches 300⁰F, add butter, salt, and 1 cup of the spiced pumpkin seeds (reserve the last ¼ cup of seeds for topping).
• Continue to cook until the mixture reaches 310⁰F. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. This will cause the mixture to bubble up a bit.
• Working quickly, pour the syrup onto the greased parchment and spread evenly with a greased, heatproof spatula. Sprinkle with remaining pumpkin seeds while the syrup is still hot, so they stick to the top. Allow to cool for at least 2 hours before breaking into pieces and serving.

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.

MAPLE BOURBON PUMPKIN SEED BRITTLE

Steps:

• Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small skillet, toast pepitas over medium heat until barely golden. Turn off heat and keep warm in the skillet while you make the brittle.
• In a large saucepan, heat sugar, maple syrup, bourbon and butter over medium-low heat, stirring to combine, until sugar is dissolved. Don't bring it to a boil until everything is dissolved.
• Bring mixture to a boil, then stop stirring. Attach a candy thermometer and continue to cook without stirring, until mixture reaches 300°F. This make take a bit - the last few degrees seem to take the longest.
• Once the mixture hits 300°F, turn off heat and quickly stir in baking soda and salt, then pumpkin seeds.
• Immediately pour onto prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Work carefully - mixture will be very hot and can cause burns if it gets on your skin.
• Cool until hardened and break into pieces.
• 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.)

BOURBON MAPLE PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Coat a parchment-lined baking sheet with the olive oil.
• Cut a 10-inch circle in the top of the pumpkin and remove the top. Scrape out the pulp and seeds with a large spoon and remove to a bowl. Separate the seeds from the stringy pulp, then rinse the seeds in a colander under cold water. Shake the seeds dry; don't blot them with paper towels--they will stick.
• Spread the seeds in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake until beginning to dry out, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the bourbon in a small saucepan, set over high heat and cook until reduced slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the maple syrup and cook until slightly thickened and reduced to about 1/4 cup, another 3 to 5 minutes.
• Whisk the egg white in a medium bowl until foamy. Add the baked pumpkin seeds and toss until fully coated. Add the bourbon and maple mixture and toss again to coat.
• Line a clean baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the seeds on the prepared baking sheet and continue to bake until caramelized and dry, an additional 25 to 30 minutes. Cool before serving.

SPICED MAPLE PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter, then stir in the seeds. Cook, stirring constantly, until the seeds turn slightly brown in color, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain off any excess butter, and stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup until the seeds are thoroughly coated with spices. Spread the seeds out onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crisp and golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes, for 30 to 45 total minutes of baking time.