Wicked Brittle
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Author Notes: I love Halloween but I am not a big candy eater. However, as the proud recent owner of Fany Gerson’s beautiful My Sweet Mexico (thanks to the Piglet), I could not resist trying my hand at some candy. Inspired by the lonely bag of pepitas in my freezer, a quick internet search, this brittle is adapted from a recipe by Susan S. Bradley. While orange and black may conjure up Halloween jack-o-lanterns, green (pepita) and black (sesame) makes me think of wicked witches. With a honey-butter caramel base, creamy macadamia, nutty pepita and black sesame, and additional warmth from the Ras el Hanout, this stuff is pretty wicked. I am almost certain that eating too much of it in one sitting will result in a trip to the dentist, so share with your friends! Note: If you want the sesame seeds more evenly distributed, instead of spreading on the baking sheet, reserve sesame seeds and add right before the baking soda mixture, after the candy has reached the hard crack stage. Personally, I enjoyed the nuttiness of the clustered seeds. - gingerroot - gingerroot
Food52 Review: Candy-making can be intimidating but these directions were very clear. This brittle would please Halloween monsters young or old. The seed combination is really tasty, with the black sesame seeds giving a nice visual punch. The Ras el Hanout imparted a subtle but haunting flavor that will keep those trick-or-treaters coming back for more. - sticksnscones - A&M
Makes a lot of brittle to share with friends
- 1 cup dry roasted macadamia nuts, cut/crushed into pieces
- 1 cup raw pepitas
- 1/4 cup black sesame seeds
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Ras el Hanout
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cups macadamia nut honey (or another amber colored, robust flavored honey)
- 1/2 cup water
- Fleur de sel for sprinkling
- Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray. If you have an offset spatula, spray that too (if not, the silicone spatula you use later will work).
- Combine macadamia nuts, pepitas, and black sesame seeds in a bowl, stirring to mix. Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet, leaving a one-inch border around the entire pan. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine baking soda, salt and Ras el Hanout. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar, honey and water. Slowly bring mixture to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Once mixture comes to a boil, continue simmering mixture undisturbed, until a candy thermometer indicates it has reached “hard crack” stage, about 300 degrees. Remove pan from heat, and add black sesame seeds, stirring to mix. Carefully add baking soda-salt-Ras el Hanout mixture, stirring to mix. You will notice that mixture will lighten in color and the texture will become foamy.
- Pour candy over nuts on prepared baking sheet, using an offset spatula or silicone spatula to spread as evenly as possible.
- Allow brittle to cool completely before cracking off a piece to eat. Store brittle in an airtight container between pieces of parchment to prevent sticking; if you share with your friends it won’t last long!
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Halloween Treat
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7 months ago cinders51
I don't know about Halloween, but I just made this for holiday gifts. This was the first candy I ever made, and it was totally successful and fun to do. Didn't know what Ras el Hanout was so looked it up and made the spice mixture myself. I don't know if you can buy it already blended, but I suggest providing a recipe for it along with this brittle recipe. I substituted pecans for the macadamias (which I don't like--they feel too oily in the mouth to me) and it was great. I also mixed the nuts into the foaming candy right after adding the spice/baking soda mixture, rather than spreading nuts out on the baking sheet and spreading the candy over them.
7 months ago gingerroot
Hi cinders51! Thanks for letting me know and including your changes and substitutions. I'm glad this was a success and you had fun. I had received a jar of ras el hanout prior to making this brittle and had never used it before. From what I understand, each spice house/company/person has a different recipe for ras el hanout, so there is not one definitive recipe. I'm glad you found something online that worked!
over 1 year ago vinylhaven
just made batch for xmas presents. disappeared too fast. thanks. super easy and came out just like picture.
over 1 year ago gingerroot
So glad you enjoyed these! Thanks for letting me know. Happy Holidays.
over 2 years ago AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Great recipe, gingerroot! ;o)
over 2 years ago gingerroot
Thanks, AJ!!