It's

Cozy Food Friday!

That means it's time to share a recipe from 

another great cozy mystery!

Today I'm featuring a recipe from the cozy mystery 

STIRRING THE PLOT 

by 

Daryl Wood Gerber. 

SUNFLOWER SEED BRITTLE

Note from Jenna Hart - Lead character

I found this recipe in a cookbook with the incredibly long title 

Ghoulish Goodies: Creature Feature Cupcakes, Monster Eyeballs, Bat Wings, Funny Bones, Witches' Knuckles, and Much More!, but I didn't have all the ingredients, so I experimented and came up with this recipe. The author of the recipe mentioned that tons of recipes for candy brittle include a big baking soda addition, which can make the hot sugar puff up too much and get sort of cloudy looking. The puffiness looks cool, but the candy doesn't have the crispness that brittle-lovers crave. So, note that this recipe doesn't have a ton of baking soda. Also note, you need a candy thermometer. Luckily, I had one because my aunt was wise enough to furnish my little kitchen with one. She knew I had a sweet tooth. 

The recipe is easy. The candy flavor divine.

  

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup water

1/3 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup shelled sunflower seeds

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with butter. Put on oven mitts. 

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, and corn syrup. Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly while the sugar dissolves. Cook until the mixture comes full boil. This will take 3 to 5 minutes. 

Slip the candy thermometer along the side of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue to boil without stirring until the temperature reaches 260°F on the candy thermometer. This will take 10 to 12 minutes. (Note: the temperature gets to 200°F fast . . . but then be patient.)

Remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the butter and sunflower seeds with a wooden or heatproof spoon. (Don't use a plastic spoon; it could melt.) Return the pan to the heat and continue to cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the temperature reaches 295°F on the candy thermometer.

Remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the baking soda and vanilla extract. Be careful; the vanilla will spatter. Yipes!

Pour mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it as thinly as possible, using the back of the wooden spoon or a spatula, and let the brittle stand until completely cool. 

Break the candy into serving pieces (I gently whack it with a mallet) and store the candy in a plastic ziplock bag.Remember to squeeze out the air before sealing. 

The candy holds for up to 2 weeks, if you can keep from eating it that long. 

                                  Please note that all food photos are from Google Images. 

Your version may vary in appearance

I never thought about using sunflower seeds in brittle. 

Great idea for family and friends with nut allergies!

You can purchase STIRRING THE PLOT by 

Daryl Wood Gerber at your local bookstore or order it online

Barnes & Noble

Amazon

Book Depository

NOTE: I am not in an affiliate program with any online company.

I do not receive payment in anyway for my suggestions to you or 

if you make your purchases from a company I mention. 

Keep reading and check out my installments of 

Book Beginnings on Fridays

and

The Friday 56

Book Beginnings on Fridays is a meme hosted by Rose City Reader

Share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading

Keeping my Cozy Food Friday theme going with... 

STIRRING THE PLOT by Daryl Wood Gerber

Book 3 in the Cookbook Nook Mystery series

My Book Beginnings for this week..

A cat yowled. Not mine. Tigger was back at The Cookbook Nook. However, I couldn't stand for an animal to be in pain. I leaped out of my chair and scanned the garden of the Crystal Cove Inn. At five eight, I could peer over most of the crowd. I looked from booth to booth. The Cookbook Nook was one of many vendors selling its wares at the Winsome Witches Faire on a gently breezy Sunday, all to benefit the Witches' cause---literacy. I dropped to all fours. I must have looked pretty silly in a black sheath with my rear end in the air and my sandals ready to fall off my water ski-sized feet, but I didn't care. "Here, kitty, kitty."

The Friday 56 is a meme hosted by Freda's Voice

Rules: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader (If you have to improvise, that's okay.) *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grab you. *Post it.

Continuing with the STIRRING THE PLOT theme

My Friday 56...

"She will be missed. Is there a story there?"

"What kind of story?" I asked, deliberately being evasive.

He offered a wry look. "Care to comment?"

"No." I held up my hands. "Ask the police."

3rd in nationally bestselling Cookbook Nook Mystery series

Halloween in Crystal Cove, California, is a big deal, involving a spooky soiree where the Winsome Witches, a fund-raising group, gather to open up their purse strings and trade superstitions. But party magicians, fortune-tellers, and herbalists are only the beginning of this recipe for disaster...

Jenna Hart has packed The Cookbook Nook chock-full of everything from ghostly texts to witchy potions in anticipation of the annual fund-raiser luncheon. But there's one unexpected addition to the menu: murder.

When the Head Priestess of the Winsome Witches is found dead under mysterious circumstances, there's no logical answer and plenty of blame to go around. With her aunt, Vera, unable to call on her ability to foresee the future, Jenna will have to use more than just sleight of hand and a few magic tricks to conjure up the truth... 

The Author

Daryl Wood Gerber

Learn more about Daryl on her website

www.darylwoodgerber.com

As always, please leave a comment and 

let me know what you think!

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clicking on the link in the 

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**********************************

Happy Release Day 

to author

Susan Bernhardt!

Susan's book 

MURDER UNDER THE TREE

Book 2 in the Kay Driscoll Mystery series

is out today!

Perfect timing for holiday reading!

While Kay attends a Christmas tea at Hawthorne Hills Retirement Home, a beloved caretaker dies from an allergic reaction to peanuts. When the official coroner's report rules the cause of death to be accidental, a small group of residents suspect foul play and call upon Kay to investigate.
Kay uncovers sinister plots of fraud, revenge, and corruption at the Home. During this season of peace on earth, good will to men, additional murders occur. Despite multiple attempts on her life, and with the support once again of her best friends, Elizabeth and Deirdre, Kay continues her quest for bringing justice for the victims.

Kay's first Christmas in Sudbury Falls is an unforgettable one, with equal amounts of celebration and danger. 'Tis the season to be sleuthing!

Congratulations Susan!