Creepy Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Creepy Pumpkin Seed Brittle is a great seasonal party sweet and perfect for wrapping up to give as gifts for teachers, friends and coworkers. The crunchy pumpkin seeds toast and pop in the syrup as it cooks and caramelizes, flavoring the buttery brittle.

When my girls were quite young, we lived in a small oilfield town in Brazil where we were one of very few American families. Our neighborhood was just four or five blocks square, with the tiny little international school within its perimeter.

Halloween was not celebrated in Brazil, at least when we lived there, so if I wanted my daughters to experience that great American tradition as I had when I was little, it was up to me to organize it myself.

I started in early October by asking neighbors I knew to give out candy then I’d make a map of all the participating houses and pass them out at the beginning of the evening. 

Some participating houses had children so one parent would join the groups going from house to house, leaving someone at home to hand out candy. Others didn’t have kids but they got into the spirit with enthusiasm, decorating their front doors and more, to welcome the trick or treaters.

After trick or treating, everyone would come back to our house where we had decorated the backyard for a spooky Halloween party and set up a table with cupcakes, sandwiches, chips and punch. We’d bob for apples the old-fashioned way in a big basin of water, pass oranges or small balloons under chins and play other fun games. 

And, of course, the kids would sort out their candy, trading for their favorites and eating much of it in the process. It was a festival of sweetness and fun! Such a sugar rush! 

One of my favorite candies to make for a Halloween party was, and still is, peanut brittle. This week I made it seasonal, using pumpkin seeds to celebrate Halloween.

Your Halloween party guests will love it! Or make some as a gift for your favorite teacher or neighbor. Add a creepy chocolate spiderweb for decoration!

Creepy Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Like peanut brittle, pumpkin seeds brittle is simple to make but take the time ahead to butter your foil and put it in a heatproof pan before you start boiling the concoction, as per the instructions. I don't have photos of the in-between steps because there wasn't any time to stop to take a picture!

Ingredients

1 cup or 200g sugar 

1⁄2 cup or 120ml light corn syrup 

1⁄4 cup or 60ml water

1⁄2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1⁄4 cups or 180g raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds (not toasted) 

2 tablespoons butter, softened, plus more for greasing the foil lined pan

1 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄3 cup or 66g semi­sweet chocolate chips for spider web ­- optional

Method

To make the pumpkin seed brittle, first line a large pan with foil and grease the foil liberally with butter. Set aside.

In a heavy pot, heat the sugar, corn syrup, water and salt over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Separate out a tablespoon of the pumpkin seeds and set them aside.

Stir in the remaining pumpkin seeds.

Continue cooking, stirring frequently until the pumpkin seeds start popping and the liquid turns caramel colored.

If you use a candy thermometer, you are looking for a temperature of 300°F or 149°C. Alternatively, you can drop a small amount into very cold water. It’s ready when it separates out into hard and brittle threads.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter and soda. The syrup will froth up but just keep stirring till the butter is melted.

Pour the bubbling pumpkin syrup into your prepared pan.

Holding the pan securely, shake it from side to side and front to back, tipping it carefully this way and that so the pumpkin seed brittle spreads out. Quickly sprinkle on the reserved pumpkin seeds and leave it to cool.

To make the creepy chocolate spider web, melt the chocolate chips with a few quick zaps in a microwave or in a double boiler.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a number 3 tip with the melted chocolate. Pipe on a spider web following these instructions here.

Set the Creepy Pumpkin Seed Brittle out on your party table whole, then break it into pieces with a little hammer to serve.

Enjoy! 

It's Sunday FunDay and since Halloween is nigh, we are sharing Halloween party treat recipes. Many thanks to our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime and her able helper, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out all the links below!

• Creepy Pumpkin Seed Brittle from Food Lust People Love
• Ghostly Candy Apple Concoction Bark by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Jack O’Lantern Cheese Bites by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Halloween Ghost Hardboiled Eggs by Sneha's Recipes
• Spider Web Pretzels by Amy’s Cooking Adventures

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

 

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