Make your friends and family an amazingly delicious snack with a few ingredients. It's chock full of healthy ingredients and is a brittle that is much like a granola bar.
1 c. almonds
1 c. cashews
¾ c. pumpkin seeds
⅔ c. dried cranberries
2 ¼ c. granulated sugar
¼ c. golden brown sugar
½ c. honey
1 c. water
½ t. salt
1 T. butter
Heat sugars, honey, water and salt in a large pot over a low-medium heat. Use a pot that is larger than you would think necessary because when the mixture begins to boil, it will foam up and increase in size. Stir every 5 minutes. Using a candy thermometer, continue to heat mixture until it reaches a temperature of exactly 302 degrees Fahrenheit. This is very important because this is the temperature at which sugar hardens into a rock-like state after it cools. Pay close attention not to go very far above 302, otherwise you will burn the sugar. It can take up to an hour for the mixture to reach that temperature, so don't get too worried if 15 minutes goes by and the thermometer is still at 175 degrees.
While sugar mixture is boiling, place a sheet of parchment paper on top of a shallow pan, about 9 x 13 inches in width and length; grease the parchment paper; set aside. Once the sugar mixture reaches 302 degrees, immediately remove it from heat; stir in butter, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries until coated in the mixture.
Immediately pour mixture onto the parchment paper; spread out into a large rectangle with a rubber spatula, trying to keep the surface even and about 1 inch in height. Place the pan in the refrigerator; allow the to cool for 1 hour.
Once it has finished cooling, remove the sheet of brittle from the parchment paper; break brittle into pieces using a meat tenderizer or a clean hammer.