Spicy Pumpkin Seed Brittle Recipe- Sweet, Salty, Spicy Pepita Brittle!

I’ll admit, when I saw this recipe, I was a bit skeptical. Spicy candy? hmmm…but…I do like candy… and I do like spicy foods…. and I just bought a giant sack of Pumpkin Seeds /Pepitas (they are so good on salads), so I thought I’d give the Spicy Pumpkin Seed Brittle Recipe a try.

**note…. Pepitas are roasted and salted pumpkin seeds… the green ones that don’t have a shell on them. If you absolutely can’t find them, I imagine roasted, salted sunflower seeds would do the trick.

Turns out, Spicy Pepita Brittle is a perfect Halloween Treat or a sweet treat after a Mexican Meal.

And it’s strangely addicting.

When you bite into it, the brittle is both crunchy and sweet… a bit nutty, maybe a hint of salty…. then blam! HEAT! (The amount of heat depends on you… I went with a lesser quantity because I was hoping the kids would help me eat some of this).

Making candy, especially brittles and barks does not require a load of special training or expensive equipment. You do have to be careful, hot sugar burns HURT! But once you have the basic technique down, you can change it up in a zillion different ways.

For now, start with this recipe.

Spicy Pumpkin Seed Brittle Recipe

Spicy Pumpkin Seed Brittle Recipe

September 17, 2014

by Angry Baker Staff

Category Halloween Other Treats

(all praise for this recipe goes to Charity Ferreira and her book "Brittles, Barks and Bonbons"... thanks Charity!! I did make a slight adjustment... instead of plain roasted pepitas, I added roasted salted pepitas... then I eliminated the salt from the recipe).

Notes

I love putting a few pieces into a clear cellophane baggie, then giving it out as gifts on Halloween.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tsp Cayanne Pepper (you can go up or down with this amount)
• 3 cups Sugar
• 1 cup Water
• 2 Tbl. Light Corn Syrup
• 2 cups Pepitas (pumpkin seeds without the shell) approx. 8 oz. (roasted and salted)

Instructions

• Cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil and butter it (you can skip the aluminum foil if you want... just butter the pan)
• Measure out your Cayanne Pepper ... the recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp, use less if you fear spice, more if you crave it.
• Measure out the Pepitas.
• Now, get out a medium saucepan and put the water, sugar and corn syrup into it.
• Stir with a wooden spoon over medium flame until the sugar is completely dissolved. (You can tell if it's dissolved by tapping the bottom of the pan... if it feels crunchy, it's not dissolved).
• Once you have liquid, wipe down the sides of the pot with a pasty brush that you've dipped in cold water (this gets any crystals off the walls of the pan).
• Clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pot (no, the one you use on yourself won't work). Turn the heat up, and let boil.
• DO NOT STIR
• Let it bubble and boil until the thermometer reads 335 degrees.
• (This takes a few minutes, just don't get so involved that you forget and burn your sugar)
• Once the sugar begins to brown, swirl the pot to make the color even.
• Take it off the heat.
• Dump in the cayenne and pepitas and stir. (Yes, the pepitas make a funny popping sound, it's ok)
• Once it's all stirred up, pour the mixture out onto the prepared pan.
• Smooth it out a bit with a spoon or offset spatula.
• Now
• Leave it alone for an hour so it can harden.
• Once it's hard, break it into pieces (with your hands)
• Eat
• Store the brittle AIR TIGHT or it gets sticky.

Tags

pepita brittle recipe,

spicy pepita brittle,

Spicy Pumpkin Seed Brittle Recipe

https://angrybakery.com/spicy-pepita-pumpkin-seed-brittle/

Tools and Supplies for Spicy Pepita Brittle

Taylor Precision Products Classic Line Candy/Deep Fry ThermometerSincerely Nuts Pumpkin Seeds – Pepitas Roasted & Salted ( No Shell ) 1lb Bag

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Step By Step Photos

Measure out your Cayanne Pepper … the recipe calls for 1 1/2 tsp, use less if you fear spice, more if you crave it.

Measure out the Pepitas.

Now, get out a medium saucepan and put the water, sugar and corn syrup into it.

Stir with a wooden spoon over medium flame until the sugar is completely dissolved. (You can tell if it’s dissolved by tapping the bottom of the pan… if it feels crunchy, it’s not dissolved).

Once you have liquid, wipe down the sides of the pot with a pasty brush that you’ve dipped in cold water (this gets any crystals off the walls of the pan).

Clip your candy thermometer to the side of the pot (no, the one you use on yourself won’t work). Turn the heat up, and let boil.

DO NOT STIR

Let it bubble and boil until the thermometer reads 335 degrees.

Once the sugar beins to brown, swirl the pot to make the color even.

Take it off the heat.

Dump in the cayanne and pepitas and stir. (Yes, the pepitas make a funny popping sound, it’s ok)

Once it’s all stirred up, pour the mixture out onto the prepared pan.

Smooth it out a bit with a spoon or offset spatula

Leave it alone for an hour so it can harden.

Once it’s hard, break it into pieces (with your hands)

Break of shard or squares… or whatever shape you get…

Eat

Store the brittle AIR TIGHT  or it gets sticky.

Halloween Gift Baggies!

I love putting a few pieces into a clear cellophane baggie, then giving it out as gifts on Halloween.

Yunko 100pcs Happy Halloween Ghost Star Cookie Packaging Self-adhesive Plastic Bags for Biscuits Package Cz007Halloween Treat Bags (25, candycorn)Halloween Treat Bags with Zip Seal 40 Pc Choose From 3 Bags Design

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