Pinenut Brittle

Last Christmas, Christie made me a batch of cashew brittle, along with a bunch of other amazing goodies. When I found out how ridiculously simple it was to make her brittle, I decided to try making some of my own and giving it away as Christmas gifts. I’m not a baker, so I’ve never really done the “goodies as gifts” thing, but the idea appealed to me, very strongly. I wanted to try something a little different, though, so I tried it with pinenuts. It was amazing.

ingredients

2 cups raw pinenuts
1 C sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 C light corn syrup
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

directions

1
In a 2 qt. microwave-safe bowl (preferably glass, with a handle), stir together nuts, sugar, and corn syrup. Microwave, uncovered, at high until mixture is light brown (approx. 6 min.). Stir halfway through.
2
Meanwhile, grease a cookie sheet with butter. If you have any nonstick foil, you can line a cookie sheet with that, instead.
3
Using oven mitts, remove mixture and add the butter and vanilla. Microwave again for 1 minute. It should become caramel colored.
4
Remove from microwave, add baking soda. Stir quickly until light & foamy and soda is mixed in. Pour mixture onto cookie sheet and use the back of a spoon to spread out as quickly as possible. (Brittle will be fairly thick.)
5
Let stand for 30 min. Break into pieces and serve. Can store in an airtight tin up to 2 weeks.