Pumpkin Seed Brittle

As I said, my dinner party had a theme of late summer-early fall. I knew I wanted to make a pumpkin tart, and Johnny would want to make an ice cream. But both are so gushy, what to do for some texture? Then it hit me - pumpkin seed brittle! I found a simple peanut brittle recipe and just substituted in pumpkin seeds. It worked out perfectly.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup pre-toasted pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp baking soda

Grease a large cookie sheet and set aside. In a large saucepan, bring the sugar, corn sugar, salt, and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the pumpkin seeds and affix a candy thermometer. Continue cooking and stirring until the temperature reaches 300°, or the hard crack stage.

Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the butter and baking soda. Pour at once onto the cookie sheet. Use a butter knife to help spread the mixture to about 1/4" thickness. Cool completely and then twist the pan to help remove. Snap into pieces and store in an airtight container.