Birdseed Brittle

Directions

1. 1
   * I used raw cashews, but roasted/salted would work fine as well. You can reduce the salt a bit if you do, but I think these are good with a little extra salt too.
2. 2
   Lightly oil an 8 x 8 baking dish **. Toast the cashews carefully (they can burn easily) in a dry skillet, let cool, chop and add to a bowl. Toast the millet and add it to the bowl. Toast the seeds all together and add them to the bowl. Stir.
3. 3
   Heat the honey and orange peel in a small saucepan until the honey boils and foams up a bit. Remove the heat and let steep about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the peel (you can let it cool and eat it right up). Heat the honey to a boil again and stir in the seed mixture. Use a candy thermometer to carefully monitor the temperature and stir constantly to avoid burning the seeds and nuts. Remove from the heat right around 280° and immediately pour into baking dish. Smooth the top with a spatula and let cool about an hour. Invert onto a cutting board and cut into pieces while still pliable. Allow to harden completely and store in an air tight container or wrap individually in cellophane.
4. 4
   ** The 8x8 makes thick enough brittle that you might do more sucking than crunching. You can also pour the mixture out onto a bigger sheet pan and let it spread a bit thinner.