Lavender Cashew Brittle

This morning we did our first harvest of lavender, and let me tell you we did not even make a dent in what is beginning to bloom.  I have been researching new ways to use lavender and am excited to start experimenting.  I prepared the typical bundles for drying, but this time instead of hiding them in the basement, I have hung them in our dark hall closet with all of our coats.  I figured that we might as well enjoy it as it dries out.

To find some inspiration, I have been sifting through recipes that utilize lavender.  Then some perfect timing.  As I paged through my new Martha Stewart magazine, there was a piece on a lavender farmer.  One of the photos was of lavender brittle, but there was no recipe.  So I started to search for one.  It was hard to find a specific one, only hints at adding herbs to your favorite brittle recipe. At a recent meeting I had a wonderful cashew brittle and got the recipe, so I decided to try it while adding a good amount of fresh flowers.

It turned out beautifully and may make an appearance in one of our farm bags soon!  Without further ado...

Lavender Cashew Brittle

1 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C corn syrup
1 C salted Cashews
2 tsp. lavender flowers, minced

Bring butter, sugar and corn syrup to a boil and maintain boil while stirring until it reaches 295 degrees (hard crack).  Skip the morning work out the day you make brittle, your arms will be moving constantly for quite a while here!  Then remove from heat, stir in cashews and lavender and quickly transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet (I use a jelly pan, because I like that little lip all of the way around).  You have to work VERY quickly here to get it to spread out.  It begins to set the moment it hits the cookie sheet!  Mine was completely cool within 15 minutes and I broke it into pieces.