Comments on: pepita brittle

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:34:06 +0000

Jennifer (74), Deb, and Emily -
I purchase peanut free pepitas (not processed on the same equipment/in the same facility as peanuts/tree nuts – a must for allergy families!) directly from the manufacturer (SunOpta). The brand was formerly known as Dakota Gourmet Pepitas, now they are called SunRich Naturals Pepitas. The phone number to purchase is 800-727-6663. They are roasted and salted, packaged in 1 oz bags. You have to buy a case (150 bags), but they are well worth it – they are my go to nut substitute when I bake, on salads, in pesto and my husband likes them as a quick and easy protein pick me up to keep in his work bag. Hope this helps – I’m making the brittle this afternoon!

By: Emily

Emily — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:20:54 +0000

I’m wondering the same this as Jennifer #74. Most pepitas I find are manufactured on the same equipment as tree-nuts and peanuts, and often state that they may contain trace amounts of those things. I have not found a company that processes pepitas in a nut-free facility. Does anyone know of a brand?

By: Elise

Elise — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 20:29:21 +0000

Oh wow. I just made this (my first crack at making anything in the candy/caramel categories) and it is amazing. I was thinking to take some of this batch to Thanksgiving next week, but I don’t think it will last that long. Thanks, SK!

By: deb

deb — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 02:11:50 +0000

Peanut free pepitas? I am not sure I follow.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 02:10:21 +0000

Just wondering where you purchased peanut free pepitas?

Thanks!
Jenn

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:13:56 +0000

Delicious! I swapped half the white sugar for brown, which, coincidentally, made judging the readiness of the brittle on the basis of color a tad difficult. But I used the water test (does a drop of the hot brittle harden immediately when submerged in a cup of cold water?), and all went fine. Now I have a serving of perfect brittle — thanks for the foolproof recipe!

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:39:31 +0000

I had big plans to make this for Christmas gifts this year. The first time I attempted this brittle it turned out perfectly. PERFECTLY (except I missed the 1/2 cup of water part and only put in the 2 T of water – but it still seemed to turn out just fine! I also used sunflower seeds, which I really liked). But like the moron I am, I made the same mistake as a previous poster and assumed that wax paper is interchangeable with parchment. So I ended up with a big batch of wax paper brittle. Yuck. However, the small edges that didn’t have wax paper melted to it were quite good! But in the garbage can it went…

Second time around (an hour later – I was determined to not let this beat me), I made sure to use parchment paper and to add the correct quantity of water. I must have taken it off the heat too early, because my brittle was not…brittle. It never got glossy, and it turned out to be sort of crumbly. It still tasted pretty good, but needless to say that I was thoroughly disappointed that I couldn’t master it. SO! Word to the wise – listen to Deb, use parchment paper, and just watch for it to turn a golden brown.

By: Meghan

Meghan — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:16:37 +0000

I’ve been making peanut brittle for Christmas for years and decided to try out this recipe this year. Totally glad I did – it’s really fantastic!

I made a few different variations, the best of which used peanuts and pepitas and had about a 1/4 tsp cinnamon and at least 1/8 tsp each cayenne pepper and chili powder for a subtle heat. I also found that swapping out the water for beer added a good flavor (just let come to room temp before adding to the pot to avoid foaming) and, when using peanuts – get the Spanish red-skinned type and add at least half to the pot about a minute before taking off the heat. That lead to the brittle syrup taking on some extra peanut flavor.

By: Nabeela

Nabeela — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:20:46 +0000

Hi Deb! Just wanted to let you know I made this brittle with blanched roasted peanuts. I used 1 1/2 tsp sea salt…..and that was still too much, unfortunately. I’ll use 3/4 tsp salt the next time….but other than that, the recipe is awesome, especially since it doesn’t require a candy thermometere :)
Thank you for posting awesome recipes!
P.S: Used agave nectar instead of corn syrup…that’s all I had

By: kari

kari — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:32:30 +0000

Woweee. Well, I used a thermometer to 300 degrees, per the hard crack stage recommendation of another reader. The candy that stuck to my thermometer came out nice and brittle, but the bit we mixed all that salt into is real crumbly and super salty. We used unsalted butter, but some really old-timey sea salt that might have been more salty than normal. Not sure what the problem is, but I think next time I’ll limit to a tablespoon of salt and dial back the pepitas too.