Sheet Pan

Birdle (multi-seedĀ brittle)

by:
March  1, 2012
0
0 Ratings
  • Makes 40 small pieces
Author Notes

A twist on traditional brittle, this "birdle" was named for all the different seeds in the recipe. When you get them all together, it looks a little like bird food - but tastes amazing. Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's pepitas brittle recipe with further inspiration from food52's "your best holiday confection winner" contest, Pinenut rosemary brittle, this is a savory/sweet candy that makes a great addition to party spreads but is also wonderful just in the candy dish. —allysahn

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup karo corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt (coarse)
  • 1 cup shelled sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup white sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup black sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
  • 2/3 cup water
Directions
  1. Combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup, and water in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture turns a medium golden, stirring very sparingly. This takes at least 15 minutes and could be alot more depending on your burner heat. Make sure you've really got a deep golden color before you move on to the next step.
  2. Remove from heat, and mix in the baking soda then the salt. The misture will bubbly and expand quite a bit with the baking soda.
  3. Add all the nuts and stir until evenly distributed through the brittle. (While you're waiting for the sugar to cook, you can combine all the nuts into one bowl to make this last step simpler)
  4. Turn the mixture out on a silpat or parchment lined sheet pan and spread thin with the back of your spoon or a spatula. The quicker you work, the easier this will be. You want the brittle to be as thin as possible, without making any holes. Once it is spread out in a thin layer sprinkle the rosemary over it.
  5. Before it cools, you can score it with a pizza cutter or sharp knife and then break it into clean, even pieces once it cools. Or, if you're less OCD - you can just break it into chunks after it has cooled.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • boulangere
    boulangere
  • allysahn
    allysahn

2 Reviews

boulangere November 21, 2012
I've been looking for something to use as garnish on top of a gingerbread sundae, and I think this is it. Beautiful!
 
allysahn December 6, 2012
Yes! Despite the fuzzy picture, it would make a really beautiful garnish, and its wonderful with ice cream.