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Follow the Ruels

Bourbon Pecan Brittle

December 14, 2015

Pecan-Brittle-9

Do you like pecans? What about candied pecans? Pecan pie? Pralines? Bourbon? Sugar? I am just going to assume you said yes to at least one of those things. And if you did, you MUST make this pecan brittle for the holidays! 

Brittle is a pretty easy candy to make for as a holiday gift, dessert, or party favor. For the past couple years I have made a huge batch of peanut brittle and handed it out as a gift or brought it into work during the holiday season. This year I wanted to try something a little bit different. And now that I have been in the true South for a few years, pecans and Bourbon seemed totally appropriate!

Pecan-Brittle-1

If you have never made brittle before, it might seem a little daunting, but its about as easy as making caramel. You start by boiling sugar, corn syrup, and water for a few minutes until it starts to turn a light brown. Then you mix in the nuts and keep boiling until the sugar turns a deep amber color (or reaches 300 degrees). At that point you mix in the vanilla, bourbon, salt, baking soda, and butter. Then you pour it out onto a baking sheet and let harden.

Pecan-Brittle-3

Oh yeah, I also sprinkled a little sea salt on top because it just felt like it needed that extra depth of flavor. 

Once it was hard, I broke it into small pieces. This brittle is pretty thick, so it was hard to break with my hands. That’s when I broke out the hammer. I took another piece of parchment paper and laid it on top of the brittle and whacked it with they hammer. After that, it was easy to break into pieces! 

Pecan-Brittle-5

I will definitely be handing this pecan brittle out to just about everyone as a Christmas gift. I have already given it as a hostess gift to several people, and I will be bringing a huge bag in for my coworkers this week. It is just a little bit unique and not your average peanut brittle, but it combines flavors that most people already love!

Pecan-Brittle-4

Bourbon Pecan Brittle
2015-12-13 19:53:16
A salty sweet pecan brittle flavored with vanilla and bourbon.
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 cup light corn syrup
  2. 3 cups granulated sugar
  3. 1/2 cup water
  4. 3 cup raw pecans, roughly chopped
  5. 1 tbsp vanilla
  6. 2 tbsp (1 oz) Bourbon
  7. 2 tsp baking soda
  8. 1 tsp salt
  9. 1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
  10. coarse sea salt
Instructions
  1. Line a large rimmed baking sheet or jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Spray parchment with baking spray.
  2. In a large sauce pan, corn syrup, sugar, and water to a boil over medium high heat. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes without stirring until the sugar starts to slightly brown, or it reaches 240-260 degrees.
  3. Stir in pecan pieces. Allow mixture to boil for another 5 to 10 minutes until the sugar mixture turns a dark amber color, or reaches 300 degrees.
  4. Once sugar mixture gets to 300 degrees, immediately take off of heat and stir in vanilla, Bourbon, baking soda, salt, and butter. Stir until butter is completely melted and sugar mixture has turned a light honey color.
  5. Poor sugar mixture onto prepared baking sheet and spread out so that it is evenly coating the pan. Sprinkle the top with a couple pinches of coarse sea salt. Allow to cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  6. Once hardened, break into pieces. Store in an air tight bag until ready to serve.
By Follow the Ruels
Follow the Ruels http://followtheruels.com/

3 Comments / Filed In: Desserts, Eat
Tagged: bourbon, brittle, candy, holiday, pecan

White Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Brittle

October 23, 2015

Pumpkin Seed Brittle-7

Do you need any more pumpkin recipes? I sure don’t! Well this technically isn’t a pumpkin recipe…it’s a pumpkin seed recipe! Got to use the other parts of the pumpkin, right?

This recipe was inspired by my love for brittle. Growing up, my aunt would make brittle for the holidays and I would demolish it, it was so good! This is pretty much her recipe but instead of peanuts I used pepitas (or shelled pumpkin seeds) and added just a touch of pumpkin pie spice. 

Pumpkin Seed Brittle 10

My “signature” ingredient to any brittle recipe I make is a touch baking soda. The baking soda reacts with the sugars and causes it to puff up (like you can see above) and also creates lighter and not so dense brittle. If you have ever had honeycomb candy, its what they add to the sugar to create all those air pockets and the honeycomb effect. 

Pumpkin Seed Brittle 11

To really knock this recipe out of the park, I added some white chocolate on top. Pumpkin pie spice and white chocolate is such a great combination. I highly recommend adding white chocolate to just about any pumpkin recipe you might make.

Anywho…once the chocolate sets up, I break the brittle into pieces. Of course, all little itty bitty pieces are for taste testing. Only the big pieces are worth serving. That’s my rule of thumb for any sort of baked good.

Pumpkin Seed Brittle-8

I will probably be making this or some version of it from now until the New Year!

Pumpkin Seed Brittle with White Chocolate
2015-10-05 17:15:51
A rich brittle spotted with shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas), spiced with pumpkin pie spices and covered in white chocolate.
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Save Recipe
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
20 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
20 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  2. 1/2 cup brown sugar
  3. 1/2 cup water
  4. 1 tsp vanilla
  5. 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  6. 1/2 baking soda
  7. 1 cup toasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
  8. 8 oz white chocolate, melted
Instructions
  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, lightly covered in butter or baking spray.
  2. In a large sauce pan, over medium heat, stir together sugars and water. Bring to a boil without stirring. Once boiling, stir in vanilla. Keep boiling until the sugar turns a dark amber color, or gets to just under 300 degrees, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  3. Stir in pumpkin pie spice, then take mixture off of heat and stir in baking soda. The mixture will begin to bubble and foam. Keep stirring until it mixture is no longer puffed up. Fold in pepitas.
  4. Immediately pour hot caramel onto the lined baking sheet. Spread out with the back of a greased spatula. Allow to cool until hardened, about 10-15 minutes.
  5. Once hardened, pour melted chocolate over top of the brittle. Sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice. Allow to cool completely until chocolate is hardened. About 1 hour.
By Follow the Ruels
Follow the Ruels http://followtheruels.com/

3 Comments / Filed In: Desserts, Eat
Tagged: brittle, pumpkin, recipe, white chocolate

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Hey There!

Hey there, I'm Lindsey. I'm a number cruncher by day and a home cook and baker by night. While I love to eat healthy and find fresh and healthy alternatives for my favorite foods, I will never turn down dessert! Life is all about moderation, right?

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