Pumpkin Seed Brittle

I've had a stash of hulled pumpkin seeds in my house that I've been looking for something to do with. After googling around, I found a few recipes for Pumpkin Seed Brittle; I chose one by Alton Brown since I know brittle to be a technical process.

To make the brittle, I needed:

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus additional for coating 
• 7 ounces hulled pumpkin seeds (these are the green ones) 
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 pound 6 ounces granulated sugar 
• 12 ounces water 

Plus:

• 10-inch saute pan
• Silpat mat
• Half sheet pan
• 3-quart saucier and large cast iron skillet

Directions:

"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." 

You really do smell them. It's fantastic!

"Transfer the seeds to a small mixing bowl, add the cayenne, cinnamon and salt and stir to combine."

I only used half the cayenne and sprinkled some clove on top too!

"Line a half sheet pan with a silicone baking mat.

Place a 3-quart saucier inside a large cast iron skillet."

Obviously, I improvised this step...

"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."

Dammit! It crystalized. I knew I shouldn't have made a point to scrape out the bottom of the pan to get ever seed... If you try this recipe, make sure you avoid doing just that. You really do need to work fast!

"Cool completely, approximately 30 minutes, and then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks."

Overall, it didn't turn out too bad! I got a nice flavor on the seeds, however, I just don't think I'm a brittle girl after all. 

Next time, I think I'd use the same steps to toast and season (my way,) but turn it into a snack mix instead.

If you're a brittle whore (ha ha...), let me know what you usually make and what tricks you use to make it amazing!

Also find this post on my other blog, A Taste of My Brain