Spiced Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Tonight I was so proud when my batch of Pumpkin Seed Brittle came out! I had tried to make a batch last night but was rushing around the kitchen also making dinner. Let me tell you, not the thing you want to rush or it just won't set right! :(

ROUND 2! Practice makes perfect after all and it came out amazing tonight, so I thought I would share this yummy recipe with everyone.

I saw this recipe on Honestly Yum and emailed my sister in law right away and said "I have to make this for Thanksgiving!!!" but thought I'd give it a whirl beforehand.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin seeds, plus a handful more for dipping
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of light corn syrup
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips

  Start off by toasting the pumpkin seeds over medium heat in a pan. Constantly stir the seeds so they don't burn. You'll know when to stop when they start to get golden and you can smell them. Some may even start to pop. 

  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. In a medium saucepan clipped with a candy thermometer (make sure it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pan), heat water, sugar and corn syrup over medium high heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it starts to boil. Stop stirring and let the mixture boil until it reaches 285 degrees. You may have to turn the heat up to high if the temperature isn’t increasing. ( You must use a candy thermometer or it will not set right if it does not get to the right temp! TRUST ME, Remember round 1? lol)

Stir in the pumpkin seeds and continually stir the mixture so it doesn’t stick to the bottom until the temperature reaches 300 degrees. (Stir quickly, it will burn!) Remove from the heat and stir in all the spices, vanilla extract, baking soda and butter, just until combined. The baking soda will cause it to bubble up a bit, but that’s normal.

You'll want to work fast here, pour the mixture over the baking sheet and using the back of a wooden spoon spread across the sheet evenly. Allow the brittle to harden completely at room temperature, or for a quicker finished product pop it in the refrigerator for about a half hour or until completely hardened.

Chocolate: Temper the chocolate chips to dip the brittle into. Use this microwave method, which starts by microwaving 3/4 of the chocolate in a bowl in 20 second intervals until the chocolate is melted and then stirs in 1/4 of the chocolate to “temper it.” I’m not sure how accurate it is but it’s easy and works well enough for me!

Finely chop a large handful of raw pumpkin seeds and place on a flat dish.  After dipping the brittle in the chocolate, dip the ends in the raw pumpkin seeds and sprinkle with some sea salt.

And there you have it! Definitely a have to for holiday baking!

XO

Celeste

Brussels Sprouts Chicken Salad with Almonds

Ever get home from work, open the fridge and hope for some magical dish to be there? Wishful thinking! I usually just stand there and hope for some creativity to pop into mind, or I'll google the main ingredients that I do have. That's how I came up with this salad!

I haven't been much of a brussels sprouts lover unless its done just right (Like at Cleo in Hollywood, their brussels sprouts, are to die for!) Trust me this salad will become your go to for brussels sprouts, it's that good!

I wish I had taken more pictures, I took a video but for some reason it won't load. You can check it out on my instagram :)

Brussels Sprouts Chicken Salad with Almonds

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked chicken, cubed 
• 4 cups sliced Brussels sprouts (for me it was about 20)
• ½ cup almonds 
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon butter
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prep the salad: Prepare the chicken. Prepare the Brussels sprouts by very thinly slicing them. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until chopped (or buy the packaged slivered almonds). Place in a small skillet over medium high heat with no oil or butter and toast until golden brown, stirring or shaking constantly.
2. Make the dressing: In the small skillet, saute the butter and onion over medium high heat until the onions are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onions to a food processor. Add the lemon and olive oil. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place the Brussels sprouts in the empty sauteed onion pan and place over high heat. Stir for 1-2 minutes until you can smell them and they turn bright green. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, toss the the Brussels sprouts, almonds, chicken, dried cranberries and Parmesan.
4. Toss the dressing and salad together. Serve warm or cold. If you plan to keep leftovers, keep the dressing separate.

Enjoy!

Xo

Celeste