California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center’s Maple Pine Nut Brittle

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Newman’s Own Foundation is sharing recipes and stories from some of our Indigenous grantee partners!  

A Newman’s Own Grantee Partner since 2022, the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center (CICSC) at California State University San Marcos fosters collaborative research and community service relationships between the faculty, staff, and students of CSU San Marcos and members of Tribal communities, for the purpose of developing and conducting research projects that support the maintenance of sovereignty and culture within those communities.

Kiana Maillet, EdD, MPA, LCSW Paiute-Shoshone, shared a recipe for Maple Pine Nut Brittle, and shared this reflection: “Decolonizing our diet is a journey of remembrance and renewal. It means taking time to relearn our ancestral teachings, rematriate traditional ingredients, and weave them into the foods we enjoy today.”

She continued, “When we harvest, we sing the songs of our ancestors. When we cook, we tell their stories. Each meal becomes an opportunity to honor those who shared their knowledge, keeping Indigenous teachings alive on modern plates. Through the support of organizations like Newman’s Own Foundation, we can continue learning, sharing, harvesting, and creating – celebrating the inextricable relationship between our people, health, wellness and land.”

Maple Pine Nut Brittle

Recipe by Kiana Maillet (Paiute-Shoshone)

Ingredients

• 2 cups of maple sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 stick butter, plus more for greasing baking sheet
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup crushed or whole toasted pine nuts

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with butter. A 9×13 sheet works well, or use a larger one for thinner brittle, or a smaller one for thicker brittle.
2. In a saucepan, heat maple sugar, water, butter, maple syrup and salt to 300°F, using a candy thermometer to measure temperature. Stir occasionally.
3. Once the mixture reaches 300°F, remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. Then stir in the crushed/whole toasted pine nuts.
4. Carefully pour the mixture on the lined baking sheet and spread evenly with wooden spoon.
5. Once it is cool, break into pieces and enjoy!