How to Make Crunchy Sesame Brittle
Simple ingredients, simple to make
If you have a spare 20 minutes, you can make a delicious sesame snack that is crunchy, sweet and great for your holiday company. Unlike peanut brittle, you don't need a candy thermometer.
Ingredients:
2 - Tbsp Butter
1 cup Sesame Seeds - You can buy the bleached sesame seeds at the market, but I used the bulk raw sesame seeds from Whole Foods. Either will work fine.
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c. sugar (organic sugar has a more caramelly taste so I prefer that (from Trader Joe's), but any granulated sugar will do
1 large piece of foil sprayed lightly with PAM
Here's the "how to" part...
First of all, cut a piece of foil about 18" long. Spray it very lightly with PAM or nonstick cooking spray. Set aside somewhere where you can leave the sesame brittle undisturbed for about 1/2 an hour.
Melt the 2 tbsp butter in a nonstick fry pan. Add 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup sesame seeds and stir. At first it will be very grainy, but soon, the butter and sugar will marry together. Keep stirring. You don't want to burn the butter. The sesame seeds will start to pop a bit. It's okay. After about 5 minutes or so, you'll see that the sugar is melted and the whole thing will be a nice golden brown, glossy and liquid. There shouldn't be any granulated sugar visible.
At this point, stir in a capful of vanilla extract/flavoring. This will cause the mixture to sizzle. Stir until all the vanilla is well mixed in.
Coming into the Home Stretch
Turn off the flame. Walk your pan over to the foil and gently pour the contents of your pan onto the foil creating this "sesame river". You want to keep it even in thickness, so if there are some areas where it's piled up too much, you can use your spoon to even it out.
You want to work with the mixture while it's hot at this point. As it cools, you'll notice that if as you pull your spoon away, it will create "threads" of sugar, so work while it's hot to keep things flowing and smooth.
Allow the sesame brittle to cool completely on the foil. When it's totally cooled, you'll be able to break it up into pieces. It will keep its crunch. Serve on a plate as is, or add a wedge to your favorite ice cream.
It makes a nice gift in a decorative tin as well.
