Autumn Brittle

I stumbled upon an Autumn Brittle recipe on Pinterest, I read through it and thought "Meh - it's a good start." I'm sure it's a lovely Autumn brittle, but to me Autumn must have certain smells. And certain flavors. And this brittle from there just didn't have it. So, using that recipe as inspiration, I've created my own recipe. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 C granulated sugar

1 1/2 C golden brown sugar

1 C water

1/2 C honey

1/2 tsp salt (see Moose Tracks below)

1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 C almonds

1 C cashews

2/3 C dried cranberries

3/4 roasted pumpkin seeds

1/2 C shelled sunflower seeds

Step 1: Combine sugars, water, honey and salt in a large stockpot (trust me here - the large stockpot is necessary. Ask me how I know.) Clip a candy thermometer on the pot. You'll need this - unless you know the water method. And if you do, good for you! It's how I learned. Now I rely on the candy thermometer. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir every few minutes.

Step 2: Boil mixture until it reaches approximately 250 degrees. Add in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir well.

Step 3: When sugar mixture reaches 302 degrees/Hard Crack stage (lower temperature if you're at higher elevations) , remove from heat and add in - all at once - the nuts, butter, dried cranberries and seeds. Stir to combine.

Step 4: Turn out onto a foil-lined, greased jelly roll pan. Use spoon or spatula to spread the brittle as thin as possible.

Step 5: Let cool. Break into small chunks. Enjoy.

Moose Tracks:

I skipped adding the salt, as the almonds and cashews I used were already salted.

If you run out of honey you can use light corn syrup. It works in a pinch.

Don't skip on the size of the pot. It took me hours to clean my stovetop off when I underestimated my cookware needs.

Boiled sugar in hot. Don't get any on you. You'll rue the day.

You can add the cinnamon and nutmeg at the beginning, but it'll result in a burnt smell of the hot brittle. It doesn't greatly affect the taste, but it makes the house smell bad.

Next time I make this I'll likely try different nuts and/or seeds.