Maple Granola Brittle

This is a new recipe for me.  I knew I'd be into it.  I am a big fan of both maple granola and any kind of brittle (although I recently saw a blog post about Fritos Corn Chip Brittle - not sure about that one).  It makes perfect sense to combine these two favorites.  It becomes a portable, super decadent granola...like the type you know you shouldn't be eating for breakfast.   I repeat...you should not be eating this for breakfast.  There is a ton of sugar and maple syrup in this recipe which makes it so decadent but the subtle orange flavour helps maintain the taste of granola.

 

Maple Granola Brittle

Origin: Gourmet Magazine

Notes:  You need a candy thermometer and some parchment paper for this recipe.  The original recipe said to line your baking sheet with a silicone mat before laying down the hot brittle...I used parchment paper for this and it was fine.  My sunflower seeds tasted a little stale so I omitted them and increased the amount of almonds and pecans.  You can play around with the nuts/seeds/oats combination as long as the total amount is the same in the end.

Ingredients:

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 

1/2 cup whole almonds

1/2 cup pecans

1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds

1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds

1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest 

1 cup packed light brown sugar 

1/2 cup pure maple syrup 

1/2 cup fresh orange juice 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place oven rack in the middle position.

Spread oats, almonds, pecans, and sunflower seeds in an even layer in a large baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, until oats are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and toss with pumpkin seeds and orange zest.

Line a baking sheet with nonstick liner (or parchment paper). 

Cook brown sugar, syrup, juice, and salt in a 4 to 6 quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon (be careful not to splash or splatter while stirring; mixture will become extremely hot), until it registers 290°F on thermometer, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in butter until melted (mixture will thicken and become opaque), then quickly add nut mixture and stir until coated well. Immediately pour onto liner (baking sheet with parchment), then cover mixture with a sheet of parchment paper. 

Roll out brittle as thin as possible with a rolling pin (I ended up pulling the parchment paper and the brittle off of the baking tray and rolling it between the two sheets of parchment directly on my counter). Carefully peel off  top layer of parchment paper and discard.

Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Break brittle into large pieces.